Way Off Broadway Presents AMERICAN ICON: THIS COMPETITION IS MURDER! 10/20-21

As times continue to change, one thing remains the same. Everyone loves a good mystery. From the early works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie to the modern mystery writers James Patterson and Janet Evanovich, people love to curl up with a good who dunnit. In the modern age of television, some of the most successful and popular shows on the air include crime dramas like CSI, Criminal Minds, and Law & Order. Audiences like to lose themselves in a case and play the part of the detective.

Over the years, The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre has given audiences in Frederick the chance to play Sherlock Holms and solve some of the most outrageously funny cases with which a detective could ever be confronted. From the mysterious death of a notorious Broadway producer to the magical murder of the Narrator from the Land of Fairytales, the most over-the-top characters have found themselves being suspected of committing the most heinous of crimes and facing interrogation.

This fall, Way Off Broadway and Justin M. Kiska, the "criminal mastermind" behind WOB's interactive mysteries, will add a new installment to the Way Off Broadway Mystery Club Collection when American Icon: This Competition is Murder! plays at the theatre Wednesday, October 20th and Thursday, October 21st.

In American Icon, the competition is really heating up! Down to the final four, each contestant thinks they have what it takes to be the next American Icon. All that stands in the way of success and stardom is a panel of judges and three other hopefuls. With tensions running high and fame and fortune at stake, could someone actually kill to win? An evening of musical mayhem awaits as the audience becomes the detective and helps solve the case.

A cast of veteran mystery performers have been brought together to create the suspects in this tribute to, and loving spoof of, the success of the television talent competition crazy that has swept the nation. Playing the host of the American Icon and keeping the competition moving is Jeremy Trammelle as Harvey Banister. The panel of judges is made up of Pam Neely as J.C. Winpigler, Amy Chase Martin as Olympia, and Way Off Broadway's Managing Director, Justin M. Kiska, playing himself as a guest judge. The contestant, all vying to be the next American Icon are Shawn Nakia as Clay Shepherd, Jordan Stocksdale as Wallace Elias Huntington, IV, Susan Thornton as Beatrice Findlay, and Taylor Whidden as Gertie Hayseed. Making a special appearance each evening as Frederick's favorite crime fighter is Keith Purtee.

American Icon: This Competition is Murder! was written and developed by Justin M. Kiska, who also brought A Rock-n-Roll Golden Oldies Murder, The Case of the Oldest Living Showgirl, Murder by Marriage: A Wedding to Remember, A Fantasy Fairytale Murder Mystery, and The Class Reunion Caper to Way Off Broadway.

American Icon appears at The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre October 20th and 21st with doors opening for tickets at 6:30 p.m. and the competition beginning at 8:00 p.m. Tickets for the event are $38 per person and may be purchased by calling the Box Office at (301) 662-6600.
For additional information about American Icon, or any of Way Off Broadway's productions, visit www.wayoffbroadway.com or contact the theatre at (301) 662-6600.

The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre has been a leader in the region's performing arts community since it first opened in 1995. Under the direction of the Kiska Family since 2002, WOB has produced such productions as A Funny Thing . . . Forum, Guys & Dolls, Steel Magnolias, Oklahoma!, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, The Odd Couple, A Chorus Line, The Sound of Music, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Evita, and Cats, as well as the regional and area premieres of Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl - The Musical, Jerry Herman's La Cage aux Folles, the musical comedy The Wedding Singer, and Mel Brooks' The Producers. Located along Route 40 West, the Golden Mile in Frederick, the theatre also produces a one-of-a-kind children's lunch theatre, as well as countless special events throughout the year. Way Off Broadway's 2011 Mainstage Season features Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, Hairspray, Chicago, and Christmas Tidings.