Geoffrey Presser (Daniel Pilon) headlines a very nice looking cast, as he produces his San Francisco, California, based Ballet company, starring elegant and graceful premiere ballerina Claudia Cameron (Marisa Berenson), who, together with Geoffrey, shares a strong professional rapport in spite of their past divorce.
Trouble for the ballet troupe comes in the form of snippy young Lily Roland (Nancy Valen), who pulls all the stops to attempt to usurp Claudia's star in Geoffrey's dance company, going as far as to fling insults right and left amid cast and crew to shine in a revival of a cursed ballet "Danse Diabolique," which has been performed in Moscow to the audience of a Czarina, and in Paris, to be documented on film, with either long-past presentation overshadowed by the mysterious death of its leading ballerina.
Barry Carroll (Stephen Nichols) shares a romantic past with Lily, who now shuns the advances of this stagehand for the fame of the limelight.
Damien Bolo (Robert Torti) prepares to co-star with Lily in the theatric presentation of "Danse Diabolique," he receiving eleven roses from a "secret admirer" beforehand, or perhaps a dozen with one missing, to be used as a potential murder weapon, by poisoning its thorns.
Edward Hale (Adrian Paul) prepares for his role in the ballet as the character of Death, who rehearses in costume, to enter the stage from the basement via elevator, while hoisting a skull, to fend against the lead ballerina.
It is to experience this well-choreographed but doomed revival that Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) arrives in San Francisco to attend, to experience with her dear friend Claudia Cameron, who finds herself exiting Jessica's company in the mezzanine section in advance of the curtain calling.
As the curtain opens, "Danse Diabolique" proceeds gracefully and without a hitch except, perhaps, for the murder which occurs on stage before a frightened audience.
Jessica, naturally, rushes to center stage as the curtain draws to a close, to begin her investigation along with SFPD Lieutenant Martin Kinicki (Ernie Lively) and Sergeant O'Connor (Mark Costello).
During the course of this resulting investigation, Jessica remarks to Lieutenant Kinicki, "There are three things which you cannot get enough of: friends, chocolate and the theatre."
Well, during the course of this series, Jessica seems to gravitate toward a fourth possibility: her seemingly evident passion for not being able to resist a murder investigation or two or three....
The cast is rounded out by Lindy Nisbet as Florist Shop Clerk, Jenna Elfman as Ballet Dancer in background, Anthony Gordon as Backer, and Joel Weiss as Delivery Boy.
This episode marks one of the last roles for Anthony Gordon, who has been acting since 1975.
Trouble for the ballet troupe comes in the form of snippy young Lily Roland (Nancy Valen), who pulls all the stops to attempt to usurp Claudia's star in Geoffrey's dance company, going as far as to fling insults right and left amid cast and crew to shine in a revival of a cursed ballet "Danse Diabolique," which has been performed in Moscow to the audience of a Czarina, and in Paris, to be documented on film, with either long-past presentation overshadowed by the mysterious death of its leading ballerina.
Barry Carroll (Stephen Nichols) shares a romantic past with Lily, who now shuns the advances of this stagehand for the fame of the limelight.
Damien Bolo (Robert Torti) prepares to co-star with Lily in the theatric presentation of "Danse Diabolique," he receiving eleven roses from a "secret admirer" beforehand, or perhaps a dozen with one missing, to be used as a potential murder weapon, by poisoning its thorns.
Edward Hale (Adrian Paul) prepares for his role in the ballet as the character of Death, who rehearses in costume, to enter the stage from the basement via elevator, while hoisting a skull, to fend against the lead ballerina.
It is to experience this well-choreographed but doomed revival that Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) arrives in San Francisco to attend, to experience with her dear friend Claudia Cameron, who finds herself exiting Jessica's company in the mezzanine section in advance of the curtain calling.
As the curtain opens, "Danse Diabolique" proceeds gracefully and without a hitch except, perhaps, for the murder which occurs on stage before a frightened audience.
Jessica, naturally, rushes to center stage as the curtain draws to a close, to begin her investigation along with SFPD Lieutenant Martin Kinicki (Ernie Lively) and Sergeant O'Connor (Mark Costello).
During the course of this resulting investigation, Jessica remarks to Lieutenant Kinicki, "There are three things which you cannot get enough of: friends, chocolate and the theatre."
Well, during the course of this series, Jessica seems to gravitate toward a fourth possibility: her seemingly evident passion for not being able to resist a murder investigation or two or three....
The cast is rounded out by Lindy Nisbet as Florist Shop Clerk, Jenna Elfman as Ballet Dancer in background, Anthony Gordon as Backer, and Joel Weiss as Delivery Boy.
This episode marks one of the last roles for Anthony Gordon, who has been acting since 1975.