The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940

Tickets and Information

RE:Fun Way to Start the Summer
There?s a murderer afoot and Hedgerow Theatre is the crime scene. The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, written by John Bishop, is a fun and suspenseful way to start the summer. Excellently directed by Brandon McShaffrey, The Musical Comedy Murders takes place in the winter of 1940 during a terrible snow storm. Eccentric theater backer Elsa Von Grossenknueten has invited an equally eccentric group of thespians to her home for an audition. The group, which consists of a melodramatic director, two peculiar composers and a snotty choreographer, has created multiple hits in the past. The only exception being a doomed musical that closed after only four cities due to three murders and one set of bad reviews. Also invited to Elsa?s home are three aspiring actors, Irish immigrant Patrick O?Reilly, fledgling comic Eddie McCuen and chorus girl Nikki Crandall, all hoping to win parts in the show. However, Elsa?s motives for the audition are not entirely pure. During the last disastrous tour, one of the victims was a good friend of Elsa. By assembling the same creative group, Elsa, along with Detective Michael Kelly, hopes to smoke out the murderer, now dubbed The Stage Door Slasher. But in the middle of a blizzard in a mysterious old manor, when so many of the assembled people have secrets, anything can and does happen, especially when the killer resurfaces. And the results are extremely funny ? which should be expected with such a wonderful cast. Roberta Sloan is marvelous as Elsa Von Grassenkneuten. Her attempts at espionage are not only fairly obvious but also hilarious, especially when she is working opposite Clyde Brooks?s upstanding and no nonsense detective. As the pair attempt to smoke out the killer, they create more havoc that only adds to the fun. Dustin Karrat as pompous Director Ken De La Maize is over the top, but in a good way. He prances around the stage with an air of his own importance. Too bad most of De La Maize?s importance is in his head! Zoran Kovcic as composer Roger Hopewell is fantastic, funny and even insightful. Sue Tiedeck plays choreographer Marjorie Baverstock perfectly. Janet McWilliams is delightful as chorus girl Nikki Crandall. She displays a mix of naivety and street smarts which makes her character endearing. Carl Smith is charming as struggling comic Eddie McCuen. Although Eddie has trouble getting the laughs Smith certainly doesn?t. Brian Gallagher adds to the mystery as Patrick O?Reilly. Although seemingly upstanding and sweet, Gallagher?s O?Reilly is also a bit shady. Maggie Cogswell is fabulous as Elsa?s maid Helsa Wenzel. Helsa, too, holds secrets and Ms. Cogswell plays them out nicely. She also has great chemistry with Gallagher. Betty Lou Roselle, however, steals the show with her quirky portrayal of writer Bernice Roth. Ms. Roselle is hilarious as Bernice struggles to simultaneously deal with the additional murders and release all the creative juices running in her veins. Of course, her ever present bottle of booze adds to the uproar. Designer Cathie Miglionico did a spectacular job with the costumes. Each is distinctive to the characters and Betty Lou Roselle?s attire is particularly creative. Scenic Designer Zoran Kovcic created an elegant and homey space complete with its own mysteries. All of this combines to make what is sure to be one of the funniest shows of the summer. The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 is a wonderful way to start off what is sure to be a laugh out loud summer at Hedgerow. It is a show everyone can take part in by hazarding a guess the identity of the Stage Door Slasher during the 15-minute intermission. The show runs through June 7 at Hedgerow Theatre, 64 Rose Valley Road, Rose Valley. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday with matinees at 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 3, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 7. Tickets are $22-30 for adults, $12 for children with $3 senior and student discounts on all shows. Group discounts are also available for groups of 15 or more. For information or tickets, call 610-565-4211 or visit www.hedgerowtheatre.org. Reviewed by Christina Perryman for PRESS FOCUS June 3, 2009

Reviewed by MRoyal on Thursday, Jun 4th, 2009