Oaklandon Civic Theatre to Present Musical Comedy Murders

What do you get when you put a German maid, a New York policeman, an Irish tenor, an eccentric millionaire, and a group of overzealous show people inside of a mansion full of mystery? The Oaklandon Civic Theatre's latest production of John Bishop's The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 is the answer. From the first scene to the last, audiences will be transported to a world of mystery, murder, and mayhem.

This hilarious comedy centers around a theatre production staff trapped in a home with a murderer among them. Who killed who? What's going to happen next? Thanks to a bizarre collection of trap doors, hidden entrances, and revolving bookcases the audience will never know who or what might appear.

Audiences will enjoy The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940's balance of slapstick comedy and sophisticated wit. Fans of the murder mystery genre will welcome piecing together the production's various clues, leads, motives, and assumed identities. Comedy fans will revel in the show's mix of zany, fast-paced humor.

Set in Westchester, New York, in December 1940, a director, producer, composer, and lyricist have come to pitch their new show to the owner of the estate in the hopes of getting her to back their show. A detective is dispatched to the mansion to uncover the murderer of three chorus girls from their last show.

The adventure and mayhem begin when a sudden blizzard traps everyone at the mansion. Knives spring out of nowhere, dead bodies show up everywhere, and the tables have been turned on the Broadway hopefuls seeking to be backed.

With a murderer loose in the mansion, they now find themselves watching their own backs. They have no choice but to find the murderer or be the next victims. Accusing fingers point in all directions while in every direction revolving, sliding, and swinging bookcases access secret passages. It is a case of who's who and what's what that keeps both the characters and the audience in laughter and suspense to the very end.

This play, which enjoyed a critically-acclaimed run on Broadway in 1987, pokes fun at the more ridiculous aspects of "show biz" and the corny "murder-in-our-midst" movie thrillers of the 1930s and 1940s.

Director D. Scott Robinson notes, "I chose this piece for its comedy, challenging and fun characters, and also its fun technical challenges. The audience is in for a real treat watching both the plot and set unravel." Assisting Robinson on the production staff are Donna Wing (Artistic Director), Jim Trofatter (Technical Director), Erika Organ (Costumer), Michael Maloney (Stage Manager), and Amanda Lane (Lighting and Sound Board Operator).

Performances are held at Oaklandon Unitarian-Universalist Church, home of Oaklandon Civic Theatre, 6450 Oaklandon Road, Indianapolis, IN 46236. Seven performances are scheduled with curtain times at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturdays, November 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, and 20. One 2:00 p.m. matinee will be offered on Sunday, November 14. Tickets are $10 each. To reserve seats, please call 317-823-4761 extension 4, or reserve online at www.oaklandoncivictheatre.com.