‘The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries Chicago’ Is A Wacky Adventure With One Flaw (Review)

A telltale sign of a well-crafted mystery lies in its solution. When the case is wrapped up, you learn the solution has been right in front of you the whole time, like an unnoticed shining bow atop a present. It’s in becoming aware of the obvious details in hindsight that not only makes the solution plausible, but allows the mystery to have a satisfying end.

So, in turn, there’s nothing worse than when an ever-present and important detail pans out to be nothing. And we’re not talking about red herrings here, but when an emphasized detail truly adds up to be nothing. Now, rather than everything being wrapped up, there’s a lingering mystery that will remain unsolved forever.

Lost? That’s okay. There is a mystery afoot, after all. Why don’t you just pour yourself a stiff drink, light them if you got them, and get comfortable. I’ll walk you through the mystery I’m still grappling with in my latest review. It’s the curious case of The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries Chicago, the charmingly worthwhile yet unfortunately misleadingly named production from Bramble Theatre.

The backstory of this review is as rehashed as any other. It’s a typical day at NoPro HQ, when with the quiet suddenness of the El clattering by in the distance, we get an email invite to review Bramble Theatre’s Mundane Mysteries Chicago. Aysa Gorovitis, a top notch New York associate of mine, had covered Outside the March’s original production of the telephone-based experience with a fine-tooth comb. I figured the invite was dead-on-arrival. But Chief Nelson, he saw it differently. He liked the wrinkle of Mundane Mysteries being done by another company, that it wasn’t a case of recasting to extend a run. It was the first he’d seen a show do this during the pandemic. So, with Chicago being my beat, the review landed on my desk to be worked.

It was perfect timing actually. I had been working a mystery of my own, off the clock. My jumpy Siamese-mix cat Lynx had lost a cute plush avocado toy he loved more than his own son, being our other cat, Leo. In fact, the one I was looking for was the second avocado toy that had disappeared into thin air. If it wasn’t for the fact that Lynx was playing around with a pear toy he had on the side, he’d be down in the dumps. I needed a case for The Ministry and Lynx’s fit the bill.

A few days later, I got a call from Inspector Krueckeberg (AKA Suzy Krueckeberg). She had taken an interest in Lynx’s case but needed more details. I happily obliged for Lynx’s sake, even when her line of questioning veered into personal details about myself. I liked Krueckeberg, she was a smooth operator. While she oozed sweet, doddering motherly vibes, Krueckeberg was sharp as a whip, and probably knew how to use one too. If she was a star of an NBC Mystery Movie franchise, I’d tune in every time a new flick played. When we hung up, I knew Lynx’s case was in good hands.

From there, in line with Gorovits’ case notes, Mundane Mysteries Chicago did what Mundane Mysteries does best — it got delightfully wackier each time I answered the phone that week. I’ve interacted with my fair share of “characters” while on the job, from ghosts, aliens, and holiday deities, but the ones in Mundane Mysteries Chicago take the cake. Whether it was soothing the skittish Maggie McClanahan (AKA Nicole Orabona), playing along with the mousy pet toy rep Lionel Pitt (AKA Andrew Lund), or fending off threats from magician extraordinaire Christopher Angelo (AKA Jack Morsovillo), I was chuckling throughout each exchange, each pluck full of personalized shenanigans created solely for my enjoyment.

So what happened to the missing avocado toys? Well, Gorovitis said it best but I’ll paraphrase in my own words — when you have a mundane mystery, you get a mundane answer to cherish. I know I will, though it might be lost on Lynx.

Seems like “case closed” on this review, right? This reads like I had a grand old time, which I did. But I told you in the beginning there’s still a mystery at play. See, this is supposedly a review for The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries Chicago. Because I don’t know about you, but I feel like I just wrote a review for The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries, the one Gorovitis had done a year ago.

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Why was “Chicago’’ included in the title? As the week progressed, its inclusion became a stinky shoe waiting to be dropped that grew smellier by the second. But other than one reference to a neighboring suburb, which I believe was included as I live in Chicago, there was nothing involving my “Sweet Home Chicago.” If I’d been a NoPro Correspondent stationed out of any other two-bit town, any usage of “Chicago” probably wouldn’t have come into play.

For traditional theatre that takes place on a proscenium stage, it’s not unusual to see the same show being mounted in different cities. That’s the secret sauce that’s made more than one legitimate fortune over the years, allowing a production to be running in every state at the same time. Yet in this crazy mixed-up world of Zoom theatre and online everything, a show can be everywhere and nowhere all at once. How do you mount a show in another city if it’s only a phone call away? What does that entail? How would this even be done?

Since Bramble Theatre is from The Windy City, it’s decided to call their production Mundane Mysteries Chicago, which keeps it from getting mixed up with the original.

But what should be an open and shut case ends up feeling more like foul play.

See, if Bramble Theatre had decided to mount a Tennessee Williams’ play, it wouldn’t be billed as The Glass Menagerie Chicago. Why would it? The Glass Menagerie takes place in St. Louis. Unless you went in and changed some lines. Something the Williams estate wouldn’t take too kindly to. Here there’s no such problem: Canada’s Outside the March is fully on board. It’s inherently built into the experience that Mundane Mysteries setting can be applied to any location based on each client and case’s needs. Furthermore when it comes to traditional theatre remounts, you wouldn’t include the city in the title for the audience’s benefit. I doubt they would be going to a production of The Glass Menagerie in another city three states away. Well, they could, but why would they? The local production will do just fine, thanks.

By calling it Mundane Mysteries Chicago, Bramble does themselves and the show a disservice. It creates the expectation there would be differences between the productions. Namely, a strong Chicago flavor, as suggested by the… well, by the name. I figured I’d be dealing with wise-guys, smooth talking jazz singers, or schmucks wondering if Mike Ditka would win a fight against a hurricane. I thought the clues of my case would be found at iconic sites, tied to local history, or in the greasy remains of an Al’s Roast Beef sandwich, which had been “dipped” of course. But I got zilch; there was just nothing “Chicago” about Mundane Mysteries Chicago.

Now, is the lack of “Chicago” a problem? No, not at all. Because Bramble Theatre’s The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries Chicago is Outside the March’s The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries in all the right ways. Mundane Mysteries is a great experience and there’s no reason why other companies like Bramble Theatre shouldn’t snag the rights and give it a try. Thanks to Outside the March’s strong and well-defined experience, Bramble Theatre is able to delight the audiences with a high quality, laugh-riot time over the dumbest of their mundane mysteries. If you’ve got a mystery that needs solving and missed out the first time, here’s another chance to submit a case. And if you had a mystery solved already, why not submit it again? I bet you’ll get an equally rewarding yet totally different mundane solution.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got another mystery meowing at my feet. Seems Lynx’s pear toy has gone the way of the avocados. Hopefully it’s under the couch. I can only handle pondering so many mundane mysteries at a time.

The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries Chicago currently runs through April 10. Tickets are $40.

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