THEATRE

    The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940

    The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940

    Presented by Playhouse on the Square at Playhouse on the Square

    September 18-October 18, 2009

    Avg. Event Rating (3.5 Stars): 3.5 out of 5 stars rating
    Add Review/Comment | Read Reviews/Comments

    Secret passageways, Nazi saboteurs, and dead bodies combine to create a blizzard of mayhem in this sidesplitting comedy. Poking antic fun at the more ridiculous aspects of "show biz" and the corny thrillers of Hollywood's heyday, the play is a non-stop barrage of laughter as those assembled (or at least those who aren't killed off) untangle the mystery of the Stage Door Slasher. New York Magazine hails Murders as the intelligent person's kind of nonsense.

    Review by George Conroy - ArtsMemphis Rants & Raver

    I enjoy watching sports. Football, wire to wire. Baseball on TV while reading a good book. NBA basketball in the last five minutes after each team has already scored 100 points, that’s when the real action starts. “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940” is more like an NBA game than a no-hitter or Super Bowl. You may enjoy the first act but only to arrive at Act II, that’s when this madcap mystery’s real action begins. The show takes a while to get warmed up but the laughs do come.
    It’s a very funny play. The setting is preposterous: the library of a snowbound mansion with countless secret passages that are entered through revolving bookcases. A lunatic cast of characters includes a singer who is not a singer; a Gestapo agent; a female impersonator; a naval intelligence officer; a dancer who is not a dancer; and a comedian whose jokes are not funny. Add a zany theatrical director; a constantly bickering writing team; and the sinister presence of the Stagedoor Slasher, an unidentified miscreant who has already murdered three chorus girls before the curtain rises.
    Hoorah for the second act. That’s when we find out who the Stagedoor Slasher is, what really happened to the maid, the secret identities of several other people and the locations of more secret passages. Oh. And there’s cognac. And Nazis. And hot chocolate.
    There’s also drama and romance and bumbling misadventure in this “Clue Like” murder mystery. By the time the whole cast has arrived the snowfall has become the worst blizzard of the century and the mansion is snowbound. The actors are trapped. The telephones are dead and the electricity flickers on and off while cast members scurry in and out of the secret passages. The writing team bickers, the producer is murdered and a young-love romance develops between Nikki Crandall (Laura Stracko) and Eddie McCuen (Steven Andrew Parker) who pair nicely as a dancer (or is she?) and a comedian. Their obvious chemistry lends itself well to the parts they’re asked to play — and both play their roles perfectly with outsized personalities and bumped-up performances.
    Liz Sharp is a hoot as a belligerent German maid (Helsa Wenzel). She starts the night being lugged around the stage like a sack of potatoes and spends considerable time screaming “nein” at the top of her lungs and brandishing a meat cleaver.
    Rebecca Powell gets props for the costumes — especially the ladies ware—and the scene shop under scenic designer Jimmy Humphreys obviously worked overtime to turn out a magnificent set that is perfect for the physical antics of the romping cast.
    Despite the title, there’s very little “musical” in “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940.” There’s a lot of murder, though. Be sure to stay for the second half to find out who the slasher is — and don’t miss the maid running around with a meat cleaver.
     

     


    • At-a-
      Glance

      • Venue Info

        Playhouse on the Square

        66 South Cooper
        Memphis, TN 38104

        Full map and directions

      • Admission Info

        Tickets: $15 - Preview $25 - Adult, Thursday & Sunday $30 - Adult, Friday & Saturday $20 - Students & Seniors $10 - Child SPECIAL OFFER OPENING WEEKEND ONLY! All Adult, Student, and Seniors tickets for Friday, September 18 through Sunday, September 20 are only $20! See the show early and save!

        Info Phone: 901-726-4656

        Buy Tickets

      • Dates & Times

        Dates:
        September 18-October 18, 2009

        Times:
        Thursday - Saturday at 8:00pm
        Sunday at 2:00pm

      • Accessibility Info

          Currently, no accessibility information is available for this event.

      • Member Reviews

        Add review/comment

        • Event Name: The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
          "A Riot!"
          Comment posted by: Dorothy Kirsch - ArtsMemphis Rants & Raver from Memphis, TN, Oct 11, 2009

          MUSICAL COMEDY MURDERS IS A RIOT~~~TOTALLY IDIOTIC BUT GREAT CAST AND SET. KIM JUSTIS IS ESPECIALLY FUNNY. DON'T KNOW HOW THEY GOT ALL THE ACTION WITHOUT PEOPLE RUNNING INTO EACH OTHER.

        • Event Name: The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
          3.5 out of 5 stars rating "LAUGH OUT LOUD ON A SNOWY SEPTEMBER NIGHT IN MEMPHIS"
          Review posted by: George Conroy - ArtsMemphis Rants & Raver from Memphis, TN, Sep 18, 2009

          It's a very funny play. The setting is preposterous: the library of a snowbound mansion with countless secret passages that are entered through revolving bookcases. A lunatic cast of characters... Expand

    • Member
      Reviews

      • Member Reviews

        Add review/comment

        • Event Name: The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
          "A Riot!"
          Comment posted by: Dorothy Kirsch - ArtsMemphis Rants & Raver from Memphis, TN, Oct 11, 2009

          MUSICAL COMEDY MURDERS IS A RIOT~~~TOTALLY IDIOTIC BUT GREAT CAST AND SET. KIM JUSTIS IS ESPECIALLY FUNNY. DON'T KNOW HOW THEY GOT ALL THE ACTION WITHOUT PEOPLE RUNNING INTO EACH OTHER.

        • Event Name: The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
          3.5 out of 5 stars rating "LAUGH OUT LOUD ON A SNOWY SEPTEMBER NIGHT IN MEMPHIS"
          Review posted by: George Conroy - ArtsMemphis Rants & Raver from Memphis, TN, Sep 18, 2009

          It's a very funny play. The setting is preposterous: the library of a snowbound mansion with countless secret passages that are entered through revolving bookcases. A lunatic cast of characters... Expand

    • Media
      Reviews

      • Media Reviews

        There are currently no media reviews for this event.

    • What's
      Nearby

      • GIVE

      • Wild Abundance Cookbook



        Click here to purchase Wild Abundance, a cookbook anthology published by ArtsMemphis. Proceeds from Wild Abundance Publishing support the arts and wildlife conservation.

         

      • ARTS MEMPHIS ON FACEBOOK

      • Twitter Updates

         

      • Find Us


           

      • Get Connected!

        • Sign up for ArtsMemphis events email

        • Watch Art Is Memphis

        • Connect with ArtsMemphis TV

        • Meet the ArtsMemphis Rants & Ravers

      • Supporters

                   



      • Community Partners

                              

      • Artsopolis Network

      Home   |   AboutUs   |   ArtsGiving   |    ArtsSupport   |   ArtsForKids   |   ArtsOutreach

      ArtsMemphis | 119 South Main Street, Suite 500, Memphis Tennessee 38103 | 575 South Mendenhall Road, Memphis Tennessee 38117
      Phone: 901-578-2787 Fax: 901-578-2784

      ©2007 ArtsMemphis