‘Comedy Murders’ delivers killer laughs

Audiences are in for a criminally good time at the EmilyAnn Theatre’s production of John Bishop’s The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940.

Despite what it suggests, it’s important to note that the title of the play is – much like many elements of this lively, riotously funny ode to the traditional whodunnit – a bit of a red herring. While plenty of comedy, murders, and stylish 1940’s pizazz abound, the show has no full musical numbers, and the most elaborate choreography transpires, not as dance routines, but as piercingly acerbic exchanges of dialogue. The ‘musical’ misnomer comes from the story itself, in which an eclectic and seemingly random group of Hollywood producers, aspiring performers, and a pair of bickering composers assemble together in an old country mansion one snowy night to workshop an upcoming musical production. It’s all fun and games (and no shortage of tongue-twisting banter and classic Hol lywood callbacks) until, in true Agatha Christie-esque fashion, the ragtag group realizes they’re trapped in the dark with a murderer from their past, and not everyone is as they seem.

The plot weaves a complicated yarn, with more head-snapping turns than a rerouting Google Maps tracker. However, with some attentive and clever direction from EmilyAnn veteran Ameer Mobarak, audiences enjoy the roller coaster-like experience of an over-the-top whodunnit without the drawback of whiplash. Mobarak – who previously directed the EmilyAnn’s 2018 production of Mousetrap, a full-blooded Agatha Christie – returns to the director’s seat to craft a satirical, jaunty love-letter to the murder mystery theatre genre. With help from artistic director Bridget Farias-Gates, Mobarak showcases his particular talent for casting an ensemble with pitch-perfect chemistry (at least, metaphorically – remember, it’s not actually a musical!). Between characters like Melinda Ellisor’s gleefully melodramatic hostess, Dylan Droz’s hilariously unfunny professional comedian, and Luke Taylor’s surreptitious director, the entire ensemble’s complimentary dynamic achieves an unparalleled synthesis of vivacious wit, slapstick, and exuberant chaos that makes the hour and forty minute runtime feel all too short.

In addition to the stellar cast, the show boasts some slick technical design. It’s not easy to make the confines of a black box, in-the-round stage feel like the sprawling library of a gothic mansion, but between the deliciously atmospheric lighting design from Chris McKnight and inventive set design from James Pearce and Carter Holland (who also bring their acting talents to the cast as the affable Irish tenor Patrick O’Reilly and undercover cop Michael Kelly, respectively) the set springs to life with as many foreseen twists as the story. Mobarak’s mindful stage direction utilizes the limited space of the Burdine Johnson Indoor Studio stage in a way that makes the show feel immersive rather than overcrowded. For any fan of murder, mystery, satire, old Hollywood, and over-the-top mayhem, this gleeful romp of a production would be a crime to miss.

Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 runs weekends through March 1 at the EmilyAnn Theatre and Gardens, with afternoon matinées on Sunday. Seating is limited, with online booking available through the theatre’s website, www.EmilyAnn.org.