Donning a “Jersey Shore" wig, Selectman Judy Whiteside put forth the best performance of her acting career, as did her seven fellow cast members.

The occasion was "Murder in the Library," a fundraising, comedic play, presented in the Wareham Free Library Friday night.

The audience had to figure out who murdered author Agatha Mystry, portrayed by Superintendent of Schools Kimberley Shaver-Hood. While Shaver-Hood dramatically depicted her character's poisoning, she was not a convincing corpse -- laughing several times at scripted and unscripted humor.

Kenneth Fontes, School Committee member in real life and police chief Sam Slayed in the play, was the master of the unscripted.

When the chief suggested that book publisher Dell Doubleday, played by fellow School Committee member Michael Flaherty, might have "dunnit," Doubleday shot back: “Are you nuts?”

“Yeah, I’m on the school committee,” Fontes replied.

And then there were the costumes. Whiteside was a prancing diva with leopard-print leggings and gobs of blue eye shadow. Library Director Denise Medeiros, as the "spinster librarian," wore a duster and hair net.

The crowd of around 100 people was pleased.

“We had such a fun time,” said Joan Kinniburgh of Onset. “We would love to do this again.”

Kinniburgh correctly guessed the murderer: The spinster did it in the library. Her sleuthing talent earned her a first edition copy of "A Trick of the Light," signed by author Louise Penny.

Accompanying the play was a silent auction, featuring photos, autographed baseball items and more.

The event was organized by the Wareham Library Foundation. Kerry Mello, president, stated the fundraiser was created to offset budget cuts.

“This year, we had about 26 percent of our budget cut,” Mello said. “Normally, we raise about $20,000 every year. This year, with the severe budget cuts, we were asked to make a donation of $70,000 dollars.”

The library uses this money to keep a certification by the Board of Library Commissioners which allows the library to share books with other local libraries.

“Wareham should do more things like this, happy, fun living,” Hazel Taber of the foundation said.

Among future events planned is a miniature golf course, coming in February 2014.