Written by Daniella Litvak 

Mystery writer Arthur Whitney was fatally shot at his surprise birthday party. Who did it?

Photo Courtesy: JIM COX

The Whitney mansion is filled with suspects, and it is up to Officer Marcus to find the murderer.

While Marcus is preoccupied with finding out who did the deed, the question I want to be answered is “how.” How is Murder For Two, not a disaster? It’s a murder mystery, a musical, and a comedy that features only two actors (Kyle Branzel and Ian Lowe). One of these actors plays the role of every single suspect and also plays the piano, which is practically the sole source of musical accompaniment. This should be the textbook definition of an overwrought, gimmicky show with too many ideas. Yet somehow, it works.

The writing is clever, entertaining, and self-deprecating. Like most comedies, it has its share of bad puns, bawdy jokes, and subverted rhymes. But most of it is remedied with catchy songs and fun acting. The song “Protocol Says” was stuck in my head during the entire car ride home.

The actors burst onto the stage, and they never let up.   Lowe does a beautiful job demonstrating how neurotic Marcus and the suspects are while retaining his down-on-his-luck everyman qualities. Branzel impresses with the variety of distinct characters he plays. Mainly, there aren’t any costume differences among the different roles, so the audience depends on his diction and body language to determine which character he plays. Thanks to Branzel’s performance, I could quickly identify the characters. Branzel and Lowe have great chemistry. They need to be complimented on their musicianship too. Some of the best moments in the show come from just watching their passive-aggressive piano duets.

Like all good mysteries, the audience is kept on its toes. Sure, Murder For Two gleefully confesses to killing characters and the musical theatre genre, but this show is alive. 

8.3/10

Side note: I thought the set reminded me of the rooms in Clue. I noticed some exciting items on the shelves: a candlestick, knife, lead pipe, revolver, rope, and wrench. There are plenty of other visual gags. 

April 22nd – May 17th 

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