THE FALCON ALWAYS WINGS TWICE

Sudden death competes for attention with Andrews’ trademark brand of comic bedlam at the Riverton Renaissance Faire.

The highlight of the festival is the Game, the semi-improvised period soap opera that climaxes most evenings in a duel between the Duke of Waterston, played by professor Michael Waterston, and his archrival, Sir George of Simsdale, played by George Sims, before continuing with new developments the next day. The lowlight is Terence Cox, a difficult actor whose issues include an awkward amatory history with another cast member; an attempt to blackmail another player; a spot of reckless horsing around that gets computer programmer Tad Jackson, the husband of ornamental blacksmith Faulkner Cates, fired from his job; and perhaps even antagonizing Gracie and Harry, a pair of peregrine falcons who’ve become one of the faire’s signature attractions. It’s lucky that when Terence is killed, inevitably by a period dagger to the back, Michael’s wife and Faulk’s most famous pupil, Meg Langslow, is on hand to help Riverton police chief Mo Heedles with the job of sifting through the dozens of suspects, beginning with two local actors both convinced they’ve been cast as Polonius in eccentric director Neil O’Malley’s new production of Hamlet. Although Andrews keeps the proceedings as light and brisk as a carnival, there’s more mystery than in Meg’s last several adventures, and Meg rises to the occasion till she’s cornered by not one but two independent candidates for the hoosegow.

Andrews deftly juggles franchise characters, newbies, red herrings, Renaissance tidbits, and murder most welcome.