Soda City Theatre, one of Columbia’s newest community theatres, has a little gem on its hands. The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 is a hysterical spoof of 1940s murder-drama genres and is, in a word, fun! With several fellow actors in the crowd cheering on the madness, the cast certainly enjoyed themselves, and it showed. The laughter was nearly nonstop.
The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 premiered at Circle Repertory Company in New York City on January 7, 1987. Shortly thereafter, it moved to Broadway and opened at the Longacre Theatre on April 6, 1987. Directed by the author, John Bishop, both productions featured Lily Knight, Ruby Holbrook, Willie C. Carpenter, and Nicholas Wyman.
The story takes place in the 1940s, during a snowstorm that has stranded them (conveniently) at an estate in New York. It revolves around a creative team that was in charge of a recent Broadway flop in which three chorus girls were murdered by the mysterious “Stage Door Slasher.” The team gathers at the Westchester estate of Elsa von Grossenknueutan, a potential backer of this new production. She is hosting an “audition” for her money. Tammy Smith hilariously plays Elsa. Her comic timing and mannerisms provide a delightful portrayal of the flighty backer for this new production. Her performance is spot on. The house is replete with sliding panels, cleverly designed for this small space as secret passageways by Todd Moles. .
Director Shauna Lair has done a tremendous job with this script. The flow of gags and gimmicks worked well. It was big, broad, and loads of fun. This reviewer loves a good spoof. Give me The Show That Goes Wrong, Monty Python, Laurel and Hardy, and Mel Brooks any day of the week. If you expect it, it will probably happen in a delightful, sometimes raunchy kind of way. There is a lot of drinking and innuendo, pratfalls, fun fight choreography, very funny bits with dead bodies, and a maze of hidden passageways well used by the actors. Not an easy design considering their stage restrictions.
In her director’s notes, Lair says it best: “In every whodunnit, everyone in the room is suspect. This show takes every cliché the genre has and jams them all into one room, at once.”
This cast, all of whom did a phenomenal job, includes the German maid, Helsa Wenzel, played by newcomer Gabriella Guanci. Guanci’s accent was great, and she seems to have a natural comic timing. Helsa is apparently four different, yet identical people, all of whom help drive the ensuing comic mayhem when the “Slasher” makes his or her reappearance and strikes again—and again.
Wayne Wright as Ken De La Maize, the producer, gives a solid performance; Gina Saviola as Bernice Roth, the lyricist who clearly has a drinking problem, is subliminal, yet hilarious; she is always in the moment and has some great reactions, and accomplishes some great pratfalls! Tobias Shaw portrays the young comic and love interest, Eddie McCuen, alongside Skyler Lease as Nikki Crandall, one of the auditionees, who was well played as the most intelligent of the bunch; Samantha Spires as Marjorie Baverstock, whose delightful portrayal of the producer used several unusual pronunciations throughout, which really made me laugh; and Rae Kostal as Michelle Kelly, the undercover detective working with Elsa von Grossenknuetan to help figure out who the “Slasher” is. Mark DiNovo used nearly four dialects in this show, slipping in and out of each clearly and cleverly.
Last, but not least, the performance of the evening for me had to go to Barry Smith for his portrayal of Roger Hopewell, the aging gay composer who has gathered with his cohorts for this one-on-one audition for the backer, Elsa. Smith was last seen at Soda City as a tough Nazi soldier in The Hiding Place. To say this role was a stretch is not enough. His timing and portrayal were spot on.
As director, as well as the light and sound designer, Lair should be extremely proud of the entire team behind this production. The production staff, including costumes, props, light and sound, and stage management, consists of Lindsay Brown, Margaret Saverance, Wayne Wright, Joanne Shaw, Allen Robertson, Geoff Trowbridge, Todd Moles, Nathan Wright, Ellie Spires, Skyler Lease, Tracy Rice, Bennett Shaw, Joanne Shaw, Debra Leopard, Vanessa Key, Takiah Hicks, Sabrina Schroeder, Bennett Shaw, and Jerimy “JJ” Woodall.
Soda City Theatre is located at Brookland United Methodist Church, 541 Meeting St., in West Columbia. The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 runs through Nov. 15. Evening shows are at 7:30 pm, and matinees are at 3:00 pm. Seating is first come, first served, so arrive before 7:15 for the best seats. Tickets are available online at sodacitytheatre.com/tickets. This is one evening of laughs you don’t want to miss!