The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
September 11 – October 18
Talk-Back with Cast and Crew Following Sunday, Sept 20 matinee
Written by John Bishop
Directed by Michael Van Duzer | Produced by Pete Parkin and Benjamin Scuglia
With
Jacque Lynn Colton • Michelle Holmes • Ivy Jones • Anne Leyden • Emily Rose McLeod • Don Moore
Joe Nassi • Patrick Rogers • Scott Seiffert • Kevin Yarbrough
Made Possible with a Grant from The Lloyd E. Rigler – Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation
Production Stage Manager: Roger Kent Cruz | Set Designer: Petifogger | Costume Designer: Emily Brown Kucera
Sound Designer: Austin Quan | Lighting Designer: Yancey Dunham | Props Master: Ernest McDaniel
Assistant Stage Manager: Ariel Staehle | Composer: Barbara Rottman | Fight Director: Joe Nassi
Photos: Charlie Mount
"Diabolically Contrived comic Mayhem!" - The Geek Authority
"Good Old-fashioned Silly Escapist Fun and the colorful performers are excellent and very well-cast… Kudos to the excellent production staff that help make this production fly…Jacque Lynn Colton is wonderful and funny… Michelle Holmes steals every scene she’s in… Ivy Jones is terrific and colorful… Anne Leyden is hilarious… Joe Nassi is great… Kevin Yarbrough commands the stage." - Discover Hollywood
"An easy, fun, affordable end-of-summer night out for everyone… Theatre West has the perfect stage for such a big cast, and the Pettifogger-designed set suited the complicated action to a tee….Anne Leyden, as the composer character, brought life to the stage… The show ended on a positive note, both figuratively and literally; the latter because Michelle Holmes actually sings, and sustains, a fabulous singing note! The curtain call was interesting, cute, and upbeat, and left the audience in a festive mood… I DO LOVE A SHOW THAT ENTERTAINS, and isn’t trying to make you ponder life. I really appreciate that. And I did enjoy many laughs throughout the evening, especially provided by Nathan Lane lookalike, Scott Seiffert." - ItsNotAboutMe.tv
"A pure 1940s murder-mystery romp… Loads of laughs and fun filled moments… Michael Van Duzer’s direction creates a lively stage experience. Great 1940s music, terrific period costumes, and a wonderful set all put you in the mood to solve a mystery." - NoHoArtsDistrict.com
"Michelle Holmes will make you laugh out loud from beginning to end… Anne [Leyden] is having a great time as she is proud, arrogant and often the true theatrical diva that Broadway can create… Jacque Lynn Colton is giving the role vitality and energy and causing almost everyone else to keep up with her…I loved Ivy [Jones’] enthusiasm and excitement as she burst on stage as a woman who is excited to throw money in the air and hope the new Broadway play is a major success. Ivy is sweet with her words but always very funny with her delivery… Kevin Yarbrough has a sharp comic edge and holds nothing back…Donald [Moore] is colorful and flamboyant and that makes him that much more funny… Joe [Nassi] looks like he is having a blast. Along with the enormous amount of physical comedy — slapstick — he’s got some clever scenes of wit and humor with almost everyone in the cast. Watching him and Michelle was a real treat…Scott [Seiffert] is playing it regally and with lots of spirit and a natural comic sense… Patrick T. Rogers [delivers] a charming-nerd quality with lots of spice and energy and his reactions to everyone else’s reactions is quite funny to watch… Emily Rose McLeod really shines. I loved her banter with Patrick as it eventually evolves into something special."
- The Geek Authority