The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
Play
Overview
Synopsis
December, 1940. Elsa Von Grossenknueten, an eccentric theatre financier, has gathered a team at her mansion in Chappaqua, New York. Everyone believes that they will have a backer’s audition for Elsa in order to get financing for the newest musical by Roger Hopewell and Bernice Roth, directed by Ken De La Maize, and produced by Marjorie Baverstock. However, the shadow of the team’s last show hangs over the group--deemed a flop, Manhattan Holiday was ravaged by the “Stage Door Slasher,” a mysterious killer who stabbed chorus girls. The undercover police officer Michael Kelly is hoping to flush out the killer from this group of suspects--but the killer has other plans. More than that, the threat of Nazi saboteurs lurks among them. Throw in blizzard conditions, secret passageways, and some musical snippets to create an Agatha-Christie-meets-Clue formula of whodunnit parody. Popular for high schools, universities, and community theatres, The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 is full of delightful slapstick for audience of all ages.
Show Information
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1987
- Genres
- Comedy, Dark Comedy
- Settings
- Contemporary, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- December 1940, Chappaqua, New York, mansion
- Cast Size
- medium
- Licensor
- Dramatists Play Service
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, High School, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
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Lead |
Female |
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Lead |
Female |
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Lead |
Male |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Female |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Female |
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Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Cindi Calhoun
Theatre teacher, director, writer, and seamstress