“I’d rather get a shave from Jodi Arias” — that was an actual line in Saturday afternoon’s performance of “Shear Madness” at Phoenix Theatre.
The entire play, directed by Robert Kolby Harper, takes place in a bright and colorful pastel Phoenix hair salon equipped with everything an actual stylist might need, including salon chairs, mirrors, blow dryers, a working sink and a waiting area.
The opening scene of the audience-interactive murder mystery comedy featured the two stylists, Tony and Barbara, preparing to go about their normal day, which for Tony, a flamboyant and openly gay man, included an impromptu dance number to Beyonce’s hit song “Single Ladies.”
Tony and Barbara, portrayed by Pasha Yamotahari and Elizabeth Brownlee, run a salon in a building owned by a famous pianist whose constant rehearsing drives them crazy. When she’s murdered, suddenly they’re both suspects, along with a couple of their clients who also had opportunity and motive.
The hilarious whodunit play features a lot of improv, some stand-up and a lot of great scripted original comedy and gives the audience a chance to help solve the murder. As one of the characters accurately declared, “It’s just like one of those ‘Law & Order: SVU’ episodes” — giving the audience a chance to play Olivia Benson with their own line of questions for the suspects.
Besides Barbara and Tony, there are a couple other suspects in the murder. One is Mrs. Shubert, a wealthy, high-status woman who walked into the salon with a Neiman Marcus bag and white gloves. Shubert, played by Patti Davis Suarez, has friends in high places, including Lindsay Lohan.
Then there’s Eddie — an antiques dealer who’s involved with one of the stylists, though they’re trying to keep it a secret. Eddie, portrayed by Mathew Zimmerer, was also doing business with the victim prior to her death. When you throw in an undercover detective and his overeager newbie partner, played by Gene Ganssle and Mark Jacobson, then you have everyone you need for a murder mystery. The show is like a game — or the 1985 movie — of Clue.
The production is packed with pop culture and Arizona references, original jokes and wordplay, since the characters’ dialogue is rife with malapropisms. This results in some hilarious lines, including the exclamation “Mary Margaret mother of Joe Arpaio,” the phrase “Hakuna Obama,” a comment about serving goulash on “Ray Rice” and a character yelling that they’re not an “enema of the state.”
However, sometimes the show seemed to try a bit too hard to be funny or went a little too over the top, such as a joke about Ebola or one of the characters having a criminal record for driving in the HOV lane with an inflatable Jan Brewer doll. There was also a joke using the GEICO car insurance motto that really should be put to rest.
However, one of the characters’ references to his two cats, named Ducey and DuVal, had the crowd breaking out in laughter. There was also a kiss that seemed unscripted, which surprised everyone — even the talented group of actors on stage.
The show also featured a lot of great music, including “Y.M.C.A.,” Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang,” Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend” and Madonna’s “Papa Don’t Preach.” All of the characters were a stereotype in some way or another, but they also had a surprising amount of originality that kept the show interesting and unpredictable.
One of the great things about this show is you could see it five times and it would be different every time. The audience really does have a say in choosing who the guilty party is, and the actors are an extremely skilled group who perform great improv around the audience interactions and reactions. It’s easy to see why this choose-your-own adventure murder mystery holds a Guinness record for the longest running play, ever, in American theater.
“Shear Madness” will be performed at Phoenix Theatre through Nov. 23. Tickets start at $30, and $15 discounts are available for high school and college students who come with ID 15 minutes before the show starts.
Contact the author at jasmine.barta@asu.edu. Contact the columnist at mbilker@asu.edu.
