Shear Madness
Starring Richard Karn at the New Theatre Restaurant
Plot
A renowned classical pianist is murdered in her apartment above the Shear Madness beauty salon and you, the audience, interrogate the suspects, evaluate the clues and solve the mystery. This wacky, spontaneous play never has the same ending twice.
Shear Madness is America’s most popular and longest running play. Now in its 25th year at Washington D.C.’s prestigious John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. More than 10.6 million people worldwide have seen this hilarious whodunit.
Shear Madness is America’s most popular and longest running play. Now in its 25th year at Washington D.C.’s prestigious John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. More than 10.6 million people worldwide have seen this hilarious whodunit.
Richard Karn
- Played Al on Home Improvement opposite of Tim the Tool Man Taylor (Tim Allen)
- Last KC performance was The 25th Annual Putnnum Spelling Bee in 2012
- Has a master's degree from the Professional Actors program at The University of Washington
How It All Goes Down
- The play starts without an official beginning. Usually there is an announcement and the lights go dim. With this production the actors start to perform while dinner is still being served.
- In a Westport Salon, Barbara DeMarco (Cathy Barnett) and Tony Whitcomb (Ron McGee) are going about their hair styling business. When the award winning pianist that lives above the salon is found murdered with a pair of shears all those in the shop instantly become suspects, including the stylist and two customers.
- All the suspects have a motive for the murder. Two police officers rely on the audience to solve the case.
A Murderous Review
I have seen several shows at the New Theatre Restaurant and have never been disappointed until now. I can't believe this is "America's longest running comedy".
- It was overwhelming laced with product jokes ranging from ESPN to Viagra. The jokes became predictable and at one point I started questioning if I was watching a commercial. I would have loved to take a tally of the product and company names dropped during the play.
- The characters' motives were not equal. It seemed that two of the suspects were just there to waste time. The evidence against them and their motives were seriously lacking compared to the other two.
- The best part of the play was when Ron Mcgee broke character. He unexpectedly kissed Jim Korinke (the detective). It was followed by some improvisation causing all the other actors to break character. It took everyone several minutes to get back on track.
- They actually stop the show and take a vote on who is guilty........
WIN 20141209 203749
Who Stole the Show?
The award of the night goes to the kitchen staff. The food was amazing as always. If it weren't for the excellent dinner menu I would have considered the whole evening a flop.
Curtain Call
After analyzing stories all semester I was looking forward to this production. I had expected this play to have some depth. With it being a mystery I had assumed there would be clues for the observant eye to pick up on. As always, I still recommend the New Theatre Restaurant. The food is amazing, the service is wonderful, and out of the countless shows I've seen this has been the only negative review.