The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
By John Bishop
November 24 & 25, 2023
Directed by David Gobby
Produced by Pat Darlington
The creative team responsible for a recent Broadway flop (in which three chorus girls were murdered by the mysterious “Stage Door Slasher”) assemble for a backer’s audition of their new show at the Westchester estate of a wealthy “angel.” The house is replete with sliding panels, secret passageways, and a German maid who is apparently four different people—all of which figure diabolically in the comic mayhem which follows when the infamous “Slasher” makes his reappearance and strikes again—and again. As the composer, lyricist, actors, and director prepare their performance, and a blizzard cuts off any possible retreat, bodies start to drop in plain sight, knives spring out of nowhere, masked figures drag their victims behind swivelling bookcases, and accusing fingers point in all directions. However, and with no thanks to the bumbling police inspector who snowshoes in to investigate, the mystery is solved in the nick of time and the “Slasher” unmasked—but not before the audience has been treated to a sidesplitting good time and a generous serving of the author’s biting, satiric, and refreshingly irreverent wit.
The Cast
Tanya Angelo | Marjorie Baverstock (the producer) |
Leigh Bulmer | Helsa (the maid) |
Emily Fleming | Bernice Roth (the lyricist) |
Dave Maynard | Ken de la Maize (the director) |
Danielle Savoie | Elsa Von Grossenkneuten (the backer) |
Andrea Rubio | Nikki Crandall (a singer/dancer) |
Nick Wilson | Eddie McCuen (a comedian) |
Frank White | Patrick O’Reilly (an Irish tenor) |
Matthew Whitelaw | Michael Kelly (the cop) |
Derek Quinn | Roger Hopewell (the composer) |