San Benito Stage Company moves to Gilroy for ‘Why Bump Off Barnaby?’

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After an almost show-ending series of complications, the San Benito Stage Company has moved its latest production to Gilroy’s Pintello Comedy Theater in its quest to answer the perplexing question: “But Why Bump Off Barnaby?”

Barnaby’s rescheduled demise, the centerpiece of the 1981 English farce by Rick Abbott, was originally planned to take place at one of the stage company’s usual Hollister venues. However, Board of Directors President Zach Isom said that personnel “churn” left them with no place in town for the production. 

“It’s an added stressor,” Isom said, “because the venue is always the first question we have to answer before we can even begin auditions.”

While the upcoming children’s production of “Alice in Wonderland Jr.” is still scheduled for early May at the Granada theater, the more adult-oriented “But Why Bump Off Barnaby?” came close to being cancelled for lack of a space until Whitney Pintello and Charlie Gilmore, of the Pintello Comedy Theater, reached out to offer their venue, located in a historic grange hall. 

“The Pintello people have been phenomenally helpful,” said Brian Murphy, the play’s co-producer. “Beyond providing the space, Whitney, who is a talented scenic painter, helped us build and paint the set to look like a high-quality English country manor.”

Since the theater company lost its regular performance spaces at the Granada Theater and Veterans Memorial Hall, Isom said it has become used to being semi-nomadic. However, relocating to Gilroy presents significant logistical challenges.

“You have to take everything with you,” he said. “Everything: all the sets and costumes. You have to move in, find places for all of it and then when you’re done, you’ve got to clean it out. Then, getting everyone to commit to coming to Gilroy from Hollister.”

Adding to the complications, the Pintello Comedy Theater already had a production in progress, limiting the time the company could use the space for rehearsals. A warehouse space was converted for the purpose and was used until three weeks before the first show on March 6. 

The show revolves around the murder of Barnaby during a family dinner. As he lies dying, unable to speak, he uses his last bit of strength to scratch out the cryptic letters “b-a-r” as a clue to his killer’s identity.

However, those letters could point to almost anyone present at the gathering and none of the suspects have any apparent motive to kill Barnaby. But Barnaby himself has strong reasons to want every one of them dead.

“It’s a stereotypical whodunit farce in the manner of ‘Clue,” said director Jenny Arbizu. “You meet Barnaby off the bat. He’s a cousin that most of the family doesn’t recognize. Everyone is in line for an inheritance except Barnaby, so there is nothing to gain from killing him off.”

Arbizu, a BenitoLink reporter, has been with the company since 2009, when she appeared in “Guys and Dolls” as a hot box dancer. She had an advantage going into the production, as she was familiar with the Pintello stage. 

“I’ve gotten kind of used to changing venues,” she said. “But fortunately, I know this one well enough. I’ve acted with them and served as the stage manager for one of their shows, so I know how everything works. So it made everything much less complicated.” 

One question remains: will an audience accustomed to seeing the company perform in Hollister travel to Gilroy for the play? Murphy said he believes they will. 

“I’m hoping that people will make the drive,” he said. “I mean, half of San Benito County makes that drive all the time anyway, and it’s not that far to get to here. And a lot of people come to the Pintello anyway, so it should be a familiar place to them.”

Whether the company will perform at that venue again is uncertain, but Murphy said it has been a positive experience.

“If they were to offer it to us again, we might take them up on it, but this was just something that they did to help us out,” he said. “I’m just singing the praises of Whitney Pintello and Charlie Gilmore because they generously extend this space.”  

The next performances of “But Why Bump Off Barnaby?” will be on March 20 and 21, plus a matinee on March 22. The final shows will be on March 27 and 28. Tickets are available through the San Benito Stage Company. The Pintello Comedy Theater is located at 8191 Swanston Lane, Gilroy.

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