The landlady of Shear Madness beauty salon has just been scissored to death outside. Who dunnit? If you attend Florida Studio Theater’s “Shear Madness” production, you will decide. First, a “pre-show” introduces six living characters as they appear with voiced-over biographical detail in a bright salon with working sinks, etc. Then the activity turns into action as the search for the murderer begins.
Jordan Ahnquist makes his funny Tony Whitcomb not only a barber and hairdresser but flustered mainstay of the place. He’s assisted by Gina Milo’s sexy (in a different way from Tony) hairdresser Barbara DeMarco, who turns out to be an heir of the deceased. She’s interested in the antique dealer who dealt with the landlady. Ever with authority, Eddie Lawrence is yet nicely underplayed by dark actor Luis E. Rivera.
Gil Brady’s Nick, who comes for a shave, turns out to be the head cop investigating the murder. Brady takes over many of the tasks of making the search believable yet not jumping to conclusions. He does a fine job of interacting with the audience about what’s gone on and by whom and why. He’s ably assisted by young Shaun Memmel as relatively new officer Mikey, who sometimes represents some of the audience.
A standout as the wealthy socialite Mrs.Shubert is Lisa McMillan. Her secret phone call has everyone in cast and audience guessing about her role. She certainly keeps her good looks even after a shampoo onstage and then with her hair in curlers under a net. But she’s not the one who suggests the landlady committed suicide. Who’s that?
When Nick gives the audience the task of determining the villain by voting, all the questionings by both cop and watcher-listeners come fully into play. If you become one of the latter, you will not only learn but possibly determine the identity of the killer. And you will have had a great deal of fun, much of it raucous, and felt suspense leading up to knowing. All that’s standard each performance is use of names of local streets, watery locales, buildings with businesses and other places in them, and even well-known people.
The play couldn’t be in a prettier Florida spot at FST with the salon all set by the Curley-Clays in lime green and pink-to-rose with chair cushions in light orange. Nothing’s black but two pictures and two license frames and the dryers-chairs. All furnishings are essentials.
Tony wears a pink shirt and Barbara wears an apron of the two main colors, immediately showing they belong to the place. Both cops have blue tops (as cops should?) and the antique dealer has a no-nonsense black-with-gray-lines suit. Mrs. Shubert wears an appropriate designer red dress. Good choice of costumes!
The play has been called a mystery with music. Thom Korp has provided apt recordings and designed sound so that everyone on stage and in the audience can be heard. Andrew Gray continues his excellent lighting designing in illumination of the colorful set.
Director Bruce Jordan has also helped adapt the original script and planned the essential movements of all the actors. His choices prove astute in meeting dramatic and comedic demands, laudable especially since they are subject to different performances’ differences.
