'Shear Madness' Heads to Las Vegas

SHEAR MADNESS, the comedy whodunit that holds the Guinness Book record as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd longest-running play in the history of American theatre, is coming to Las Vegas.  The show's producers, Great American Theatricals, are pleased to announce a seven year deal at Town Square Las Vegas, with a projected opening date in September 2008.

Set in present-day Las Vegas, SHEAR MADNESS engages visitors and locals alike as armchair detectives to help solve the scissor-stabbing murder of a famed concert pianist who lives above the Shear Madness hairstyling salon.  The show combines up-to-the-minute improvisational humor and a mixture of audience sleuthing to deliver a truly unique performance each night.  "The show's unique concept is a perfect match for the unique setting that Town Square offers.  We're very excited to bring Shear Madness to Las Vegas," says Terrence R. Williams, Executive Producer.

An international phenomenon, SHEAR MADNESS currently has three permanent productions in the United States: Boston (1st), Washington, DC (2nd), and Chicago (3rd), as well as international productions running in Spain, Greece, Poland and Seoul, Korea.  In all, the show has been produced in over 37 U.S. cities and has had 36 international productions.  SHEAR MADNESS has been translated into 11 foreign languages and has been seen by a worldwide audience of over 8.5 million people.

In 1978, the show's creators, Marilyn Abrams and Bruce Jordan, first performed a serious version of the play, in Lake George, New York.  Mr. Jordan, the original director, sensed the comic possibilities of the piece and turned SHEAR MADNESS into a topical spoof.  The two then purchased the worldwide rights and opened the play at the Charles Playhouse in Boston on January 29, 1980, where it is still running after 28 years.  The original Boston production has the distinction of holding the record for the longest-running play in the United States.  Mr. Jordan is currently slated to direct the Las Vegas production.

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