What happens when a cleaning lady finds a dead body? And then discovers that the killer has cleaned up the scene and moved the body?

In a murder mystery with a twist of comedy, Rainbow Dinner Theatre presents "The Busybody," which opens Tuesday and runs through Oct. 30. It's a show that has all the elements of crime solving, with a dash of irony to keep things light. Well, as light as murder can get.

"Whenever we do a murder mystery, we get a great audience response," says actor and Rainbow Dinner Theatre co-founder David DiSavino.

Noticing the popularity of TV shows such as "C.S.I." and "Law & Order," Savino and his wife and fellow co-founder Cynthia DiSavino set out to find a murder mystery that would be more along the lines of Agatha Christie, with that tongue-in-cheek wit that makes crime solving a challenging task. And maybe just a dash of "Mad Men" for good measure.

They found the perfect crime -- or rather, show -- with "The Busybody," a play written by Jack Popplewell, who they had known from their days doing theater in Morristown, N.J. And they hired Craig Smith as director.

"Sometimes I do direct shows, but we thought that Craig would be ideal for this," says DiSavino, adding that he and his wife knew Smith from shows he had directed at York Little Theatre.

That gives the DiSavinos a chance to do what they really love: act.

Cynthia DiSavino managed to snag the leading role of "The Busybody," a friendly, pleasant and rather nosy cleaning woman known as Mrs. Piper. David DiSavino plays Detective Harry Baxter, one of the two officers trying to solve the crime, and an old classmate of Mrs. Piper.

"Mrs. Piper is a nice lady who knows everyone and tends to mind everyone else's business a little too much. She cleans the office and she runs the office snack wagon," explains Cynthia DiSavino. "Things get complicated when she finds the body of the brokerage firm boss, Mr. Marshall, and decides to do some crime solving herself."

Once Mrs. Piper makes the gruesome discovery, she goes back to the crime scene only to find that the body is gone. Did she imagine the whole thing? Will the dead body reappear? Where and when?

But, most of all, whodunnit? Was it Mrs. Piper's husband, the unseen Mr. Piper, who waits in his car for his office-cleaning wife? Was it the boss's wife, Claire Marshall, played by Casey Allyn? Perhaps it was the administrative assistant, Marian Selby, played by Dianne Danz, who just happens to be madly in love with her boss?

There are other suspects too, such as office wonderboy Robert Westerby, played by Scott Russell, or new acquisitions manager Paul Logan, played by Anibal Maldonado. Even detectives Baxter and Goddard (Robby Ringer) can't be completely ruled out. And is Mr. Marshall really dead? With his disappearing and reappearing act, it's getting hard to tell.

"The truth is..." teases Cynthia DiSavino. "Everyone is a suspect."

Which is just how it should be.

"The Busybody"

Opens Tues. Cont. through Oct. 30

Tues.-Thurs.:

11:30 a.m. meal, 1 p.m. show

Fri. and Sat.:

6:30 p.m. meal, 8 p.m. show

Some other matinees and twilights

Call for details. $45-$52

Rainbow Dinner Theatre

3065 Lincoln Highway East

Paradise, (800) 292-4301 or 687-4300
www.rainbowdinnertheatre.com