Review: MURDER FOR TWO at The Carnegie

As a great lover of musical theatre, it’s very rare and exciting when you discover a lesser-known gem of a show within the vast canon. When these shows come along, I always try to make a point of catching them, because the rarities don’t come along often. That’s one of the main reasons why I was so excited that The Carnegie was choosing to produce the two-hander piano extravaganza Murder for Two. 

The premise of Murder for Two is pretty simple: a man is murdered at his birthday party and an officer (wannabe detective) arrives to interview the suspects, the twist being that the officer is played by one man while all of the suspects are played by the other. And the real kicker? They accompany themselves and each other on the piano the entire time. It’s truly a wildly fun concept, and the talent needed to pull off a show like this is astronomical.

The show opens with Curtis Reynolds as the suspects singing a song to set the scene of the murder (playing many roles of course), and shortly after Officer Marcus (Mark Schenfisch) arrives to supervise the scene of the crime before the real detective arrives. Throughout the evening, we meet suspects one by one as motives are divulged and tensions run high.

It’s very rare to find a true two-hander, but this show really takes the cake. Reynolds, no doubt has the showier role, and he makes a meal out of every single lyric and line of dialogue. Truly inhabiting many distinct and carefully crafted characters, he is a clown in more ways than one, and he is a joy to watch. Schenfisch is definitely the “straight” man of the duo. He gets many great moments of comedy as well, but he serves as the grounded force of the show and our protagonist. He strikes a balance with his co-star brilliantly, making sure they both get the spotlight equally. I truly haven’t seen a more compatible duo in quite a long time, and in the nature of this show, these roles must be perfectly matched for maximum impact. On top of all that, they both flawlessly play the piano off and on for the entire 90-minute runtime. It’s truly a massive and admirable feat that must be seen to be believed. 

The writing of the show itself is quite clever, even if occasionally trite. The story while fun, most serves as a vehicle for phenomenal performances. However, there are some tunes that have stayed with me like Marcus’ “Protocol Says” and Stephanie’s (one of the suspects) “He Needs a Partner”. The design of the unit set is imaginative and magnetic, while still beautifully simple. The stage looks to be one giant case file for the murder, with oversized sticky notes, legal pads, and pencils around. Even for the smaller nature of the show, the set felt significant and well thought out, and the lighting design, while sometimes simple as the show calls for, had many stunning moments.

Murder for Two surely won’t change your life; however that doesn’t mean it isn’t worthy of your time and attention. I love little shows like this that seemingly come out of nowhere and delight in ways you couldn’t have known you needed. This is probably the best and only production of this title the area will get in a very long time, and I commend The Carnegie for making such a great and unexpected addition to their summer season.

MURDER FOR TWO

Running Now - July 26th

The Carnegie

1028 Scott St

Covington, KY 41011

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