Review: THE MUSICAL COMEDY MURDERS OF 1940 at Hale Centre Theatre is Masterfully Monochromatic

THE MUSICAL COMEDY MURDERS OF 1940 on Hale Centre Theatre’s Jewel Box Stage is a masterful visual and thematic recreation of black-and-white detective films and screwball comedies. It legitimately appears to the audience as if they are watching a black-and-white movie live and in person. 

 

THE MUSICAL COMEDY MURDERS OF 1940 by John Bishop opened on Broadway in 1987. The comedy with musical elements is cleverly written by a character named The Author in real time.  It showcases a group of theatre professionals who have been gathered to a remote estate for the backers’ audition of a new Broadway musical, but murder looms over the proceedings before they have even begun. 

 

The monochromatic glory of the production cannot be overstated.  Every member of the team contributed to the black-and-white visual feast, including truly astounding gray makeup and hair by Marneé Porter, eye-catching costumes by Joy Zhu, layered lighting by Marianne Ohran, accurate props by Danna Barney, and a pleasing set from Jenn Taylor. When filming in black and white, there is an art to choosing colors that will look “right” on film, but this project takes things one step further, selecting grayscale hues that look as if the right colors have been authentically filmed to create a period-appropriate appearance.

 

Kudos to director Ryan Simmons for impeccably guiding this complex design process, all while creating an enjoyable piece of entertainment that would stand on its own regardless.

 

The very strong ensemble cast doesn’t necessarily have standouts because everyone involved is well-matched in their talents, working together to keep the audience on their toes throughout the show. They include Corinne Adair as Nikki Crandall (double cast with Elise Pearce), Kyle Baugh as Eddie McCuen (double cast with Ben Parkes), Kristi Curtis as Helsa Wenzel (double cast with Sara McDonald), Ashley Carlson as Elsa Von Grossenknueten (double cast with Claire Kenny), Jasmine Jackman as Bernice Roth (double cast with Julie Suazo), Dustin Bolt as Roger Hopewell (double cast with Trenton J. Krummenacher), Zac Zumbrunnen as Ken De La Maize (double cast with Christopher Robin Miller), Bryan Dayley as Patrick O’Reilly (double cast with Tavnir Carey), Scott James as Sergeant Michael Kelly (double cast with David Marsden), Eden Benson as Marjorie Baverstock (double cast with Zöe Wilde), and Davey Morrison as The Author (double cast with Jacob Glenn Chapman), who is the sole character in color.

 

This is a thoroughly unique piece of theatre with twists and turns and, especially, top-notch design that is worth making the time to experience.

 

THE MUSICAL COMEDY MURDERS OF 1940 plays through November 15, 2025. For tickets, call the box office at 801-984-9000 or visit www.hct.org.

 

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