Hippodrome Theatre's Murder For Two

They put the laughter in manslaughter

Book & Music by Joe Kinosian

Book & Lyrics by Kellen Blair

Directed by Stephanie Lynge

Musical Director Bryan Mercer

Sept 17 - Oct 3; Previews Sept 15-16

Actors’ Equity Association Actors’ Equity Association (“Equity”), founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 50,000 actors and stage managers. Equity seeks to foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors’ Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. #EquityWorks

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

Joyful Music and Mayhem

Our first show of the 49th Season, Back in the Spotlight, is here and we couldn’t have picked a better celebration of joyful talent shinning on the stage every night.

Everyone is a suspect in this hilarious murder mystery with a twist. But what is the twist? Well for one thing, one actor plays the investigator, and the other plays all 13 suspects. And even more impressively both play the piano. That’s right. These two multi-talented actors act, dance, sing, transform on a dime, and play every song in the show. So what was it like to rehearse a show this complicated with so many moving parts and only two actors to juggle it all? Well, I will tell you. It was an absolute joy.

The show requires split second shifts between characters and one of my favorite moments is when The Suspects played by Brady Wease becomes Timmy and Yonkers and Skid, the three surviving members of a twelve-member boys choir. As we rehearsed the song with Brady, he had to switch instantaneously between each character while playing the piano. Working on the scene was all about clean precise moments and choices and once we figured it all out, repetition, repetition, repetition. So be sure to look for that boys choir and just imagine what those early rehearsals were like as we tried to decide which boy did what, where, and how.

If you all have half as much fun as we all had creating this production, we know you will be tapping your toes, holding your sides with laughter, and on your feet to applaud these amazing performers. So hold onto your funny bone. And enjoy the ride.

Stephanie

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S NOTE

Hello Everyone! We are back and are thrilled to be stepping back into LIVE performance with you.

Theater is such a communal experience, and while our team continued our storytelling craft through the medium of film, we have missed the give and take of collaborating together in the same space. And even more importantly, we have felt the emptiness of this building without you, our community, participating in this ancient ritual of connection and transformation with us.

Our communal gatherings will feel different now after everything we have all gone through over the past year, but that in and of itself is exciting. The way you get your tickets will be different, the way we seat you will be different, even the way we rehearse isn’t exactly the same. But that is ok. Because as of today, we get to be together again. And we will all find the way to our brand new normal together.

So welcome home everyone. And enjoy the show!

Brady Wease* (The Suspects)

Prelude/Waiting in the Dark Protocol Says Protocol Says (Reprise) A Perfectly Lovely Surprise It Was Her A Lot Woise He Needs a Partner So What if I Did? A Friend Like You A Friend Like You (Reprise) Henry Vivaldi Process of Elimination Steppin’ Out of the Shadows Finale (I Need a Partner/Protocol Says) Finale Ultimo (A Friend Like You)

Excited to make his Hippodrome debut and have another “shot” at one of his favorite roles! Paul has performed, directed and music directed with the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Florida Studio Theatre, free Fall Theatre Company, Sacramento Theatre Company, Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Fireside Dinner Theatre, First Stage Children’s Theater, Hope Summer Repertory Theatre, and Bucknell University. Recent credits include Bright Star, Murder for Two, Big River, The Fantasticks, Souvenir, Crazy for You, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Cocoanuts, Spring Awakening, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Big Fish and Forever Plaid. He was also a vocalist for Disney on Classic, a three-month symphony concert tour of Japan with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Brady is thrilled to be sitting behind a piano at The Hipp again! Previous shows include: Mill Mountain Theatre: Million Dollar Quartet. The Hippodrome State Theatre: Million Dollar Quartet. Florida Rep: Million Dollar Quartet, Shear Madness (Directed by Bruce Jordan), Damascus (Staged Reading). SSTI: Shear Madness. Triad Stage: A Christmas Carol, Snow Queen, All’s Well That Ends Well. Experiential Theatre Co.: Journey to Oz (National Tour), The Odyssey Experience; SART: I-Ya-I-Ya-O; Education: BFA from University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Bryan Mercer (Musical Director) returns to the HIPP since playing Walter in Lone Star Spirits, the piano in Scrooge in Rouge, the Candy Man in Let the Right One In, Horatio in Hamlet, Steve in Becky’s New Car, Jane in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol, Mrs. Bumbrake in Peter and the Starcatcher, Gibson in MR. BURNS, a post electric play. He has also musical directed Trailer Park: The Musical, Mr. Burns, The Marvelous Wonderettes, Honkytonk Angels, and many others. He has been known to Atlanta audiences for over thirty-five years as an actor, singer, director, designer, painter, and served as puppeteer, composer, musician, and musical director for 15 years at the internationally acclaimed CENTER FOR PUPPETRY ARTS. Bryan has composed with Judy Collins, danced with Ru Paul, acted with Neal Patrick Harris, Faye Dunaway, Peter Ustinov partied with Eartha Kitt and backed up Divine and Grace Jones. See more at www.BryanMercer.net.

Amber Wilkerson* (Stage Manager) Amber is a professional Stage & Event Manager. She has been affiliated with the Hippodrome Theatre since 2003, first as Properties Intern, then as Assistant Stage Manager before moving to New York City to pursue a career in theatre. She returned to the Hipp as the AEA Stage Manager of A Christmas Carol in 2005 & 2006. She has worked professionally for The Metropolitan Opera (NYC), The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (Madison, NJ), North Shore Music Theatre (Beverly, MA), and Times Square New Year’s Eve 2006-2010 (NYC). In 2006, Amber served as a Production Assistant on the Broadway musical, Grey Gardens. Amber spent five years working with Manhattan Theatre Club as a Subscriber Services Representative and two years as a House Manager at Playwrights Horizons, both in New York City. Originally from Maryland, she holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Salisbury University. Amber is a proud member of the Hippodrome Company and the Actors’ Equity Association.

Amanda Nipper (Mix Engineer/Video Designer) Amanda is thrilled to be in her ninth season at the Hippodrome. Other regional credits include Cape Fear Regional Theatre: Jesus Christ Superstar, Legally Blonde: The Musical, and The Parchman Hour: Songs and Stories of the ’61 Freedom Riders as the mix engineer in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Dorset Theatre Festival: Good People, The Whore and Mr. Moore, Boeing Boeing, and Deathtrap. Keep moving forward.

WHO’S WHO IN MURDER FOR TWO

Warren Goodwin (Technical Director, Scenic & Properties Designer) Warren joined the Hippodrome in 2004 as a carpenter in the scene shop, and assumed the role of Master Carpenter in 2006. In addition to helping build over a hundred of Hippodrome sets, Warren served as co-scenic designer on The Christians and The Wolves. He is thrilled to be currently serving as Technical Director. In his free time, Warren enjoys painting, and is an accomplished local artist. You can often find his work on display next door at Maude’s Cafe.

Bill Boothman (Lead Electrician/Assistant Video Designer) Prior to joining the Hipp, Bill worked with the stagehand’s union IATSE local 115 in Jacksonville, FL. Bill prefers neck down work, but to stay employed will occasionally dip their toe into design. “We’ve all had to branch out and learn new skills in this new era we all find ourselves in.”, says Bill. Recent Hippodrome design credits include video designer for Souvenir, This Wonderful Life, and A Show Must Go On. Bill is a synthesizer hobbyist.

Robert P. Robins (Production Manager/Lighting Designer) Bob is enjoying his 35th season at the Hippodrome. During his tenure here at the Hippodrome, Bob has provided lighting designs for over 300 Main Stage productions. Over the course of his time at the Hippodrome, Bob has held many titles such as lighting designer, sound engineer, live audio mixer, stage manager for Hippodrome Mainstage; touring productions and Theatre For Young Audiences tours, pyrotechnician, lightboard operator, and bartender. Today, in addition to lighting designer and production manager, Bob is also the facility manager of the 110 year old building that the Hippodrome calls home. Bob also provides freelance lighting designs around the country when he can. He is also an Actors’ Equity Association stage manager, and proudly holds a BFA in Theatre Production from the University of Florida. See more of Bob’s work at www.robertrobins.com

Clara Jean Kelly (Costume Designer) Clara Jean Kelly is a Costume Designer, Technician, Shop Manager and Professor based in Bloomington, IL. She has her MFA in Costume Design from Florida State University and does freelance costume design all over the United States. Clara Jean has previously worked as the Costume Shop Manager and a Costume Designer at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. She has performed duties as Costume Shop Manager, Adjunct Professor, and Residential Costume Designer at King’s College in Wilkes- Barre, PA, and as the Costume Shop Manager and Costume Designer at Theater at Monmouth in Monmouth, ME.

Erika Capin (Properties Designer) Erika is very excited to be working on her second show at the Hippodrome. She has been involved in theatre since childhood &has done a little bit of everything including acting, directing, stage managing, painting sets, and even running the spotlight, but she finally found her true calling in the wonderful world of props. Her artistic creations have appeared on the stages of several local theatres in many shows over the years – most recently in Lone Star Spirits, The Blue Period of Milton Van der Spuy, Mamma Mia, Gypsy, Time of My Life and Ins and Outs. When she isn’t making props or working at her day job, Erika also designs jewelry and takes care of an assortment of rescued animals.

Erin Jester (Costume Designer-in-Residence/Costume Shop Manager) Erin is a former Hippodrome intern and is ecstatic to return for the theatre’s 49th season. She holds an MFA in costume design and technology from the University of Southern Mississippi.