By Maya Sasaki-George ’28
Arts & Entertainment Editor
On Oct. 2, 2025, Hartford’s Wadsworth Atheneum transformed into the decadent assembly hall of the Billionaires’ Club, plunging guests into a world of extravagant costumes, cheating spouses and cold-blooded murder. “Murder at the Masquerade,” an event put on by the Murdery Mystery Company as part of the Wadsworth’s First Thursday series, was a glamorous and high-stakes soiree culminating in the unmasking of the Billionaires’ Club president’s ruthless killer. The Wadsworth offers free events on the first Thursday of every month, offering the opportunity to explore the museum after-hours, enjoy temporary exhibitions, listen to live music and watch exclusive film screenings. The crowd was dressed in ball gowns, elaborate tuxedoes, corsets, feather boas and clothing spanning the length of history, from Renaissance to Baroque to Victorian. Nearly every person was wearing a mask to hide their identity: some bejeweled, some animalistic, one a massively oversized 3D-printed moon. Guests took a final look at the Wadsworth’s “Having a Ball: Fancy Dress” exhibition at the same time as they searched for clues, bribed and interrogated suspects and bit by bit sleuthed out a killer.
Upon arrival, attendees were given a manila envelope filled with instructions and a wad of bribery money. The initial ceremony began with a game of “Rich, Marry, Kill,” in which three members of the crowd competed to either win a million dollars, have the chance to marry the celebrity of their choice or be forced to drink poison as the annual victim of the Billionaires’ Club. Just before the chosen participant was meant to drink from a poisoned cup, the president collapsed across the tile of the Morgan Great Hall, dead. The other members of the Club, new suspects in the murder case, quickly dispersed throughout the galleries for questioning. Among the suspects were Reginald Sawbucks, the snobbish old-money vice president, Bertha Peacock, the victim’s married mistress, Mort Peacock, her costume designer husband, Reed Diculous, a new-money app developer, Dr. Feelgood, a quack plastic surgeon, Ella Vader, a misandrist talk show host, Luna Tick, a resentful yet kind-hearted maid and Juan Tidman, the gossip-loving head butler.
The back of the bribery money featured a range of suggested questions to ask the suspects in order to unravel the mystery, with higher bills allowing for more specific questions. Through a painstaking process of tracking down leads and circling back on clues, participants were able to make out the complex relationships, motives and murderous intent that ran through the Billionaires’ Club. For example, the poison used to kill the Club president was a mixture of medicines found in Dr. Feelgood’s office, open to any of his plastic surgery patients. Ella Vader, Bertha Peacock and Juan Tidman were all frequent visitors of Dr. Feelgood, yet it was Luna Tick who poured the drinks; Reed Diculous revealed that Luna’s father was killed in a game of “Rich, Marry, Kill” many years ago. Mort Peacock spoke candidly about his wife’s affair with the dead man, and how her reaction to his death provides grounds for a financially beneficial divorce. Reginald Sawbucks spoke of the need for the election of a new Billionaires’ Club president. Each suspect had their own motive for murder, but the manner in which one of them actually carried through with this plot was the subject of a fine evening of mystery, intrigue and detective work.
[…] “Murder at the Masquerade” Transforms the Wadsworth […]