"Murder for Two"

September 29, 2022 — There's been a murder. A detective arrives to investigate and begins questioning a houseful of suspects, all of whom have an alibi but all of whom also have motive and opportunity. Evidence seems to lead to one individual, only to prove false, then lead to another. Clues appear and disappear. Suspects tell conflicting stories. Red herrings abound. The culprit isn't identified until the final minutes. Are you thinking an Agatha Christie mystery? Not this time.

Murder for Two is a murder mystery set to music with comic antics which had its world premiere at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2011 with lyrics by Kellen Blair and music by Joe Kinosian. The Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith, New Hampshire has produced the play under the direction of Clayton Phillips. Judy Hayward is the music director, Matthew S. Crane the scenic designer and Christina Vargas the costume designer.

A cast of only two carry this spoof of traditional murder mysteries in about ninety minutes with intermission. Micah Weese is detective Marcus Moscowicz. Mark Schenfisch plays all the suspects, allegedly thirteen, although I couldn't count that many. The story is told mostly in song lyrics by the two actors who also play a grand piano, sometimes individually, sometimes together. Novelist Arthur Whitney is done in by a gunshot early in the first act. Detective Moscowicz begins his investigation of Schenfisch's odd-ball characters. Among them, besides the late Whitney, was Whitney's wife and a ballerina, a psychiatrist and three choirboys. There were no costume changes. Schenfisch skillfully portrays the different characters with subtle changes in voice and mannerisms. He gets down on his knees as the short choirboys, distinguishing them simply by changing the position of his baseball cap.

The performance of the two actors is a tour de force. The huge parlor of an isolated manor in rural New England is a masterpiece of design and construction. To me, the play seemed to get better as it progressed. The energy level never flags from beginning to end. It's a late-season triumph for the Winnipesaukee Playhouse.