Killing it on stage: Theaters plan murder, music, mirth

Murder and mystery are the themes for shows opening on Crescent City-area stages in the coming days, from a murderous musical duet to a board game where the bodies start piling up.

It’s deadly clever.

Duet of death

Leave it to Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré to put murder to music and make it a-musing.

“Murder for Two” opens the venerable French Quarter playhouse’s 108th season with a comedy that features the talents of Max DoVale and Mark Schenfisch in what’s called “a witty and winking homage to old-fashioned murder mysteries.” DoVale plays the small-town cop who wants to be a detective, and Schenfisch (who has played in more than 150 regional productions) takes the role of all the suspects for a total of 13 roles between the two. And they also play piano.

No stranger to comedy, music or local stages is the director of the musical massacre, Ricky Graham.

“I love directing and performing in shows where the actor plays multiple characters,” he said. “The twist in this is that these actors must also be accomplished musicians who accompany themselves and the other actor. That’s not easy.”

An accomplished playwright, Graham adds his own touch of whimsy when explaining why he took on the task of directing the show.

“Before A.J. (Allegra, artistic director) asked me to direct the show, I had seen clips of other productions online and was kicking myself for not having written something like it,” Graham said. “It’s so clever and funny. It’s a show about theatricality and the love of performing as well as a spoof on the murder mystery musical genre. It’s a gem of a show with a terrific score.”

Graham and company decided to keep the “gem” in a simple setting to keep the action moving.

“We decided on a simple approach to changing characters — a pair of glasses, a pipe, a cigarette holder — because the changes are lightning-fast and sometimes the actors are literally talking to themselves. And again, this is happening while playing the piano.”

The show runs Oct. 3-20, with Oct. 4 opening night. The show runs at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays at 616 St. Peter St. Visit lepetittheatre.com.

JPAS. On the West Bank. With a laugh.

Do you have a clue?

Well, get one. In fact, get the one Jefferson Performing Arts Society is staging at the Westwego Performing Arts Theatre when “Clue” opens Oct. 3.

Based on the 1985 film with Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn and Eileen Brennan, which was based on the Parker Brothers’ board game of the same name, the show is a murder-mystery farce that pits a group of strangers together in a foreboding mansion, with motives, weapons and a strange butler on hand to keep things moving, straight to the death.

All the original characters from the game are there: Col. Mustard, Mrs. White, Mrs. Peacock, Miss Scarlett, Professor Plum, Mr. Green and Wadsworth, the butler. But someone is blackmailing them, and as their secret identities unravel, so do their wits.

The stage show turns up the funny business, making these homicides hilarious.

Jack Lampert directs this ensemble of extermination which features Candice Moses, Joel Sunsin, Reagan Lincoln, Earl Scioneaux, Kendall Berry, Leland Ensminger, Louis Dudoussat, Yvonne Eres-Nuss, David Haydel, Noah Smith and Brittany Milligan.

The show is at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 13 at 177 Sala Ave. in Westwego. Tickets start at $20. Visit jpas.org.

UNO has moors?

Love, desperation and visibility, with music? 

That’s the thrust of the first show of the fall semester at Theatre UNO when “The Moors” hits the lakefront campus Oct. 4, a joint project of the University of New Orleans’ theater and music departments.

The Jen Silverman show is billed as a dark comedy about a pair of sisters, living on the English moors, whose lives are almost as bleak as the surrounding terrain. A governess arrives, plus “an enchanting moorhen,” and things begin get strange.

Madison Smith directs the show, which includes two songs plus additional music from UNO alumnus Joshua Stevenson.

“We saw this as a perfect opportunity to incorporate even more music. It makes the entire production feel more cinematic,” said Smith. “The show is a dark comedy and a gothic mystery.

“The play aims to make you laugh one minute and shock you the next.” 

The cast includes Hinshree Neupane, Caylee Sanders, Elizabeth McCoy, Samantha Krieger, Logan Talley and Aslihan Aslan Miller.

The show is free but seat reservations are encouraged. It opens Oct. 4 but has previews Oct. 2-3. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, through Oct. 12 at the Nims Theater in the Performing Arts Center on St. Anthony Avenue at 2000 Lakeshore Drive. Visit uno.edu/sota-performances.

Dungeons in Slidell?

It was only a matter of time before the mammoth popularity of “Dungeons and Dragons” got a stage show and Slidell Litter Theatre puts on the comedic yet bizarre tale of “She Kills Monsters” on Oct. 4-13.

With details like “homicidal fairies, nasty ogres and ’90s pop culture,” how could it go be anything but magical stagecraft? The show, written by Qui Nguyen, looks at a girl leaving her home after the death of her teenage sister who was into “D&D.” When Agnes finds Tilly’s notebook, she embarks on a journey to find out more about the game and her sister.

Directed by Gary Mendoza, the show features Kylie Ritter, Elle George, Aydan Lemonier, Elijah Kreiger, Blake Nguyen, Bailey Whitley, Brandon Bui, Jaclyn Krottner, Reese Dickinson, Victoria Mathies, Kaya Welsh, Payton Colonna, with Scott Lemonier, Elise Davis, Ellie Joffrion and Kimberly Nichols.

The show is at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 13 at 2024 Nellie Drive. Tickets start at $20. Visit slidelllittletheatre.org.

In production

“EVERYTHING THAT NEVER HAPPENED”: 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; Tulane’s Department of Theatre and Dance, Lupin Theatre, Dixon Hall Annex, Newcomb Circle. The retelling of Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” looks at lovers Jessica and Lorenzo as she wants to escape from her father’s house, “the Venetian ghetto and her entire culture,” weaving through Shakespeare’s classic and Jewish history, touching on concepts of disguise, assimilation and more. Tickets start at $10.purplepass.com/tulantetd.

“HAIRSPRAY”: 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sunday; Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts, 325 Minor St., Kenner. Tony-winning musical about a curvaceous teen who only wants to dance on a TV show. Well, her dream comes true, but change always comes with someone being upset and, with social upheavals as the backdrop, the poignant message has a rocking beat that touches on a host of issues ranging from racism and integration to how high should one tease their hair, pageants and body positivity. Tickets start at $41. rivertowntheaters.com.

“THE REMARKABLE ROOMING-HOUSE OF MADAME LE MONDE”: 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Sunday and 3 p.m. Sunday; Lower Depths Theatre, Loyola University, 6363 St. Charles Ave. The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company’s production of three comedic tales of the macabre, “Penny Dreadfuls” with the main show focusing on an abused man, unable to use his legs, who lives in a London boardinghouse of the vicious and miserly landlady, swinging from hooks in the ceiling to navigate the room. He is visited by an old friend who offers little or no help. Also performed will be “The Case of the Crushed Petunias” and “Why Do You Smoke So Much, Lily?” Tickets start at $35. twtheatrenola.com.