Five murder mystery writers, four different eras of the mystery genre, a growing number of murder victims and one killer. Such are the stakes in Newport High School’s production of “Done to Death,” a 1970 murder mystery comedy that pays homage to the many tropes of the genre, much of them far older than the actors.

“There’s a lot of obscure references. It can be a challenge to try and convey it so that we can understand them, but the audience does too,” said Newport senior Miranda Bumstead, who plays Jessica Olive, one half of the vibrant and slightly alcoholic husband-and-wife duo who are known for their sophisticated plots.

The Olives are two of a group of well-known writers invited to an island by a television production crew for a new series. The campy characters — the Olives are joined by the mousy Brad Benedict, who lives vicariously through his James Bond-like creation, noir-loving Rodney Duckton and Agatha-Christie-like Mildred Maxwell — struggle to come up with fresh ideas and quickly turn to poking fun one another.

But as people being dropped like flies, the “experts” must band together to solve the murders and save themselves. The once-famous writers involve the audience as they apply their individual methods.

While many of the writers’ ideas concerning the murderer are dated, the director and young actor find relatable ways to relay the decades-old production to a young audience.

For example, Bumstead is quick to compare her character to The Great Gatsby’s Daisy Buchanan, calling Jessica Olive a fun-loving, outgoing character who is like Buchanan, minus the indifference.

“What we’ve tried to do is make sure the kids understand and relate to everything so the audience can at least get the meaning behind it,” said director Lisa Edwards. After putting on a 1940s courtroom drama last year, Edwards and the students were up for the challenge.

Despite the looming murderer, the play and cast bring the laughs.

The show is full of overblown imagination sequences in which the writers poke fun at one another’s work. During their tech rehearsals this week, the 21 students in the cast were quick to come up with new ideas, joke with one another and amp up their characters’ quirks. Some even created a pre-show scene that will start off the show.

“When I read the script, I was just laughing,” said Edwards.

The script was a welcome respite when planning the school’s winter musical, the musically challenging show ‘Les Miserables,’ she said.

“Done to Death” opens on Nov. 13 and runs Friday and Saturdays through Nov. 21. Tickets will be available at the door.