“Jigsaw Jones and the Million Dollar Mystery” play brings children’s book series to life

“Classroom” set on the stage of Concordia’s Black Box Theatre.

Photo credit: Josiah Horvath

By Josiah Horvath

Concordia students put on a children’s play about a girl trying to invent goodness through ransom notes, drawing crowds of children, families, and fellow college students over three showings on October 4.

The play, called “Jigsaw Jones and the Million Dollar Mystery,” is based on a book series by James Preller and was adapted by Concordia’s Professor of Communication and Theatre Arts, Bryan Moore. It was directed by senior Caleb Jalas.

The first showing of “Jigsaw Jones” was at 10 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church, with children as the primary audience. There was also a showing at 11:15 a.m. for various nearby elementary schools, attended by one group. Then at 7 p.m., the student actors put on a showing for the general public and Concordia students in the Black Box Theatre in Concordia’s Borland Center.

The play was about a kid detective named Theodore, or Jigsaw Jones, played by freshman Morgan Davis. His character investigates a case where he and each of his classmates receive the message “I saw what you did” through magazine cut-outs on construction paper.

Jigsaw Jones and his friends are in a class where they are required to invent something as an assignment. The character Mr. Rogers, played by freshman Isaac Herrington, mistakenly takes the invention of Eddie Becker, played by junior Joshua Nikodym. Eddie says his invention is a million-dollar idea, from which the play gets its title.

At the end of the play, it is discovered that the character Geetha Nair, played by sophomore Catherine Vyhlidal, has been the one sending the cryptic warnings because she was trying to “invent goodness” by leading people to believe they were being watched.

“It was really nice to come together to put on a play,” said Davis. He said it made the cast feel connected.

Davis said he didn’t expect to get the titular role of Jigsaw Jones and had been excited. He said that the production was a “solid ten out of ten.”

“I thought [the play] was really great,” said sophomore Emma Wakeley, who played Mrs. Jones, mother of Jigsaw Jones. “It was a lot of fun.”

She said she was glad for the successful turnout for the play.