In honor of my 30th birthday, some friends and I headed to Boston to check out one of the true staples in the Boston Theatre District, Shear Madness at Stage II in the Charles Playhouse. While Boston typically plays second fiddle to New York when it comes to live theatre, Shear Madness, is the longest running non-musical in the country with over 3,200 consecutive performances.
As we entered the venue, we grabbed a cold beer from the back bar, took our seats in the directors’ chairs and anxiously waited for the show to begin. The theatre is small with seats for less than one hundred people, however this makes for an intimate setting and helps the audience participation portion of the show which comes later in the night.
Set in a Newbury Street Unisex Hair Styling Salon, the show opens with Tony and Barbara working on clientele during the musical introduction. Tony is the flamboyant owner of the salon and Barbara is a trashy, stereotypical stylist, with a thick Boston accent. The laughs start immediately even though the actors don’t say a word. As the scene ends, we are introduced to the supporting cast - Mrs. Shubert, an uppity socialite, Nick Rossetti, a rough and rugged Pats fan, and Edward Lawrence, a businessman.
Above the salon, the famous pianist, Isabel Czerny, whom we discover is planning a career comeback, can be heard practicing her piano. At this point, you begin to understand that everyone in the salon is somehow associated with her. The pivotal moment of the first act occurs in the last scene as the lights flash, the salon empties, and we learn that Isabel has been murdered. Nick is actually an undercover police officer, and everyone from the salon is a suspect.
Act II begins with some audience participation, as we are asked to recall the events of the first act, and try and reenact what took place prior to the murder. The "whodunit" kicks into high gear as the details of the murder unfold. We discover who the murderer is during the last scene, however, to keep the play new with each performance, the murderer changes with every showing.
Although the Comedy has been running for almost 20 years, the script remains fresh by incorporating several one-liners referencing both local and national current events. It’s a Boston classic that is laugh-out-loud funny at times and a great night out on the town.
More information can be found here, www.shearmadness.com.
