What if
Agatha Christie had written one of her mystery novels under the influence of
peyote while Irving Berlin was staying with her as a house guest? The result
might very well have been Murder for Two,
a zany musical whodunit that recently opened at Playhouse on Park in West
Hartford. Under the sure-handed direction of Kyle Metzger, with a book by Joe
Kinosian and Kellen Blair, music by Kinosian and lyrics by Blair, this exercise
in controlled silliness takes a tried-and-true Christie premise – a murder in a
manorial home with all present as possible suspects – and infuses it with
Marx-brother’s manic zaniness, all created by just two piano-playing actors.
The
evening opens, appropriately, with a murder. A surprise birthday party has been
planned for Arthur Whitney, author of numerous mystery novels. However, as soon
as he enters he is shot in the head. Who could have committed such an evil act?
Soon on the scene is a police officer, Marcus (John Grieco), who hopes to be
promoted to the rank of Detective. While the actual Detective is on his way,
Marcus decides to solve the case and thus garner the attention of his boss,
something he knows he can do if he just follows protocol, which means
interviewing all of those present.
 |
| Tevor Dornor and John Grieco |
Quite a
few have been invited to the party, and part of the silliness is that they are
all played by one actor – the rather deft, agile and talented Trevor Dorner.
Over the course of the evening he’s called upon to play the murder victim’s
wife plus a femme fatale ballerina, a bilious businessman and his wife (whom he
claims has murdered before), a psychiatrist, a young college student writing
her thesis on murder and members of a boys’ choir.
So, it
sounds a bit like Irma Vepp or the 39 Steps parody, but there’s a
difference, for both actors play the piano, and much of the plot development
and interrogations are done via song. There’s an early paean to the value of
“protocol,” and, perhaps the high point of the evening, three of the members of
the boys’ choir bursting out into song. Then there’s the murder victim’s wife
just dying to sing her show-stopping song (she finally gets the chance).
Along
the way there’s quite a bit of audience interaction, starting even before the
lights go down. At one point, an audience member is invited on stage to portray
a man dying of poison. All of it requires a huge suspension of disbelief, but
if you buy the premise early on you won’t have any trouble embracing this
one-act exercise in pun-riddled goofiness.
Is the
murder solved? Well, yes, although to accept the resolution you can’t be a
slave to logic. Oh, yes, you will also learn who stole the party’s ice cream.
Of course, the murder investigation is merely the frame to allow two very
talented actors to show their stuff and their piano-playing prowess. It’s a
tongue-in-cheek production from start to finish and a must-see for those who
don’t demand that every theatrical production deliver a message and deal with
relevant, soul-searching issues. Sometimes you just go to the theater to have
fun.
Murder for Two
runs through February 3. For tickets or more information call 860-523-5900,
X10, or go to www.playhouseonpark.org
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