Curtains: A Musical Comedy Whodunnit

Kander and Ebb’s Musical Comedy whodunnit takes the stage, promising a killer blend of laughter and mystery!

Get ready for an uproarious evening of laughter and suspense as APPLAUSE! Musicals in Concert presents Curtains, a musical comedy whodunnit with music and lyrics by the Broadway collaborators Kander & Ebb who also wrote Chicago, Cabaret, Kiss of the Spiderwoman and Zorba. This forgotten musical will run at Arts Umbrella on Granville Island (formerly Emily Carr School), October 13/14/15.

Curtains is a side-splitting parody that cleverly blends the world of musicals with the intrigue of murder mysteries. The plot unfolds as a detective, inevitably smitten with the leading lady, investigates a murder that occurs right on stage. Trapped in the theater after cast and crew members start mysteriously vanishing, the show’s ensemble must decipher the “whodunit” puzzle while juggling their preparations for a Broadway debut.

John Kander (1927 -) and Fred Ebb (1928 – 2004), Broadway collaborators for over four decades since their partnership began in 1962, boast the longest-lasting composer-lyricist collaboration in the history of Broadway. Among their extensive portfolio of over 20 musicals, Cabaret & Chicago stand out having achieved both Broadway success, acclaimed revivals, and Oscar-winning film adaptations. While many of their musicals have been shelved, and mostly forgotten, Curtains, a project stemming from Kander’s determination to revisit and complete unfinished ventures after Fred Ebb’s passing, opened on Broadway in 2007, featuring a new book by Rupert Holmes.

The large cast of Curtains includes (in alphabetical order): Emily Burden, Vanessa Coley-Donohue, Rebecca Erin Curtis, Cole Devlin, Bronte Gooselaw, Grace Hight, Dakota Hutchins, Brodie Klassen, Jacob Leonard, Loughran MacLeod, Tara Martin, Randy McCormick, Ryan Nuenz, Kat Palmer, Sabrina Prada, Thomas Schultes, Dane Smit, Keri Smith, Peter Stainton, Tessa Trach, Andrew Wade, Bonnie Welch, Michael Wild, and Jessica Wong. Music directed by: Diane Spiers. Directed by: Scott Ashton Swan.

Curtains marks the 49th musical in concert for APPLAUSE! Musicals Society. Their unique approach involves just one week of rehearsals, followed by an “in-concert” performance of the entire script and score, with actors holding scripts and minimal staging and lighting to enhance the storytelling. APPLAUSE! remains the sole company in Canada dedicated to reviving rare, shelved, and forgotten musicals by beloved musical theater composers.

Four performances October 13 (8PM), October 14 (2PM & 8PM), and 15 (2PM) on Granville Island at Arts Umbrella 1400 Johnston Street, (formerly Emily Carr School). Tickets are available at Eventbrite.ca. Further information www.applausemusicals.com