Anyone who ever wanted to put their detective skills to the test will enjoy Shear Madness, on stage from March 16 through April 10 at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse.
This comedy whodunit has entertained over nine million people around the world, and due to popular demand, is making a return to Kitchener-Waterloo.
“Shear Madness offers an exceptionally entertaining theatre experience that is unlike any other,” said Alex Mustakas, artistic director of Drayton Entertainment. “It’s filled with local references and hilarious improvisation. In fact, the audience becomes part of the show, engaging with cast, helping them put clues together and ultimately determining the outcome.”
Set in a Waterloo Beauty Salon, Shear Madness has an ordinary day of hair cuts and manicures spin out of control when a murder takes place in the apartment above the salon, prompting a full-blown police investigation. Immediately, everyone in the salon becomes a suspect. And like any good mystery, everyone wants a stab at solving the crime.
The performers on stage enlist the audience to figure it out by prodding them to ask questions, recreate events and even vote for who they think is responsible for the offence.
Wade Lynch is back to take on the role of Tony Whitcomb, the proprietor of the Shear Madness Unisex Hairstyling Salon. Theatregoers embraced him as the flamboyant character in the much lauded 1998 and 2002 productions at the Schoolhouse Theatre in St. Jacobs. Mary Ann Conk is Barbara DeMarco, the gum-chewing manicurist and Whitcomb’s over-the-top side-kick.
The Shear Madness customers – socialite Eleanor Shubert (Liz Gordon, returning to the role), antiques dealer Eddie Lawrence (Gordon Gammie), and cops Nick Rosetti (Kevin Sepaul, also returning to his role) and Mikey Thomas (David Cotton) – are also considered suspects. But whodunit?
“The appeal of this production is self-evident,” said Mustakas. “It combines two popular forms of entertainment – murder mystery fused with up-to-the-minute comedy – while introducing a level of audience participation that is rarely seen in live theatre. This show is filled with spontaneous humour that makes it different every time you see it. Patrons come back again and again to witness a different outcome.”
Shear Madness is directed by Bob Lohrmann, who is the associate artistic director for the Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C., where Shear Madness has broken numerous box office records during its unprecedented 24-year run.
Tickets are selling quickly. Theatregoers are encouraged to call the box office to avoid disappointment.
Tickets can be purchased in person at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse, online at www.draytonentertainment.com or by calling the box office at 519-747-7788 or toll free at 1-855-drayton (372-9866).
