PLEASE NOTE: I REVIEWED THE PREVIEW PERFORMANCE SO CHANGES MAY HAVE BEEN MADE GOING FORWARD AFTER OPENING NIGHT

Credit: Stoo Metz. On piano: Jackson Seib. On floor: Scott Pietrangelo

“Delightfully silly and campy. Dynamically charged with witty lyrics and two very fine performances.”

Get to Gananoque and spend an afternoon or evening in a murder whodunit with Scott Pietrangelo and Jackson Seib, two engaging song-and-dance guys who know how to pull out all the stops. Under the accomplished guidance of Director Jeremy Webb, ‘Murder for Two’ becomes delightfully silly and campy.

That’s okay by me. Sometimes, we need that brand of absurdity in our lives for a couple of hours.

I left the theatre with a big ol’ smile once again.

The plot is easy enough to understand. Officer Marcus Moscowicz (Pietrangelo) is a small-town police officer who dreams of becoming a detective. One fateful night, shots ring out at the surprise birthday party of novelist Arthur Whitney, and the writer is killed. With the nearest detective an hour away, Moscowicz jumps at the chance to prove his sleuthing skills—with the help of his silent partner, Lou. But who committed the crime? Jackson Seib plays all the suspects.

We do find out at the end who the killer is.

Honestly, I didn’t care if I knew or not.

My guest and I had one hell of a good time watching Pietrangelo and Seib do their thing with tremendous musical flair, thanks to Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair’s witty lyrics. The definitive timing of the songs and their lyrical context produced raucous audience laughter that bounced off the walls of the Firehall Theatre.

There were a few moments in this preview where possible mishaps brought more laughter yet again. This adds to the fun and does not detract from the storyline. At one point, Seib announces Director Webb was sitting up in the last row and taking notes. Another moment – yours truly got into a coughing spell (damned allergies) during the show. I couldn’t stop for a few seconds. Seib stopped what he was saying, turned, looked at me, and said Gesundheit.

Visually, Vickie Marston’s dark mahogany musty look of the set and Ingrid Risk’s hued lighting certainly caught my eye when I sat down and scoped the span of the Firehall stage. But it’s not an immaculate-looking Agatha Christie/Sir Arthur Conan Doyle drawing rooms from murder mysteries of long ago. This drawing room is chock full of prop items and set pieces in topsy-turvy crammed bookshelves of various bric-a-brac. There’s a grand piano on centre stage, slightly angled for maximum view in the ¾ round setting of the Firehall Theatre.

Equally scattered across the apron of the stage are mystery novels flayed open. Diego Cavedon Dias’ upscale men’s suits aptly fit Pietrangelo and Seib, allowing them to move around the stage and off, sometimes at breakneck speed. Thank you to Paul Morgan Donald’s sound design that remains crystal clear throughout the show. I could hear all the lyrics, and that’s tremendously important since Music Director Avery-Jean Brennan has conscientiously worked at ensuring the humour and wit are never lost in the musical accompaniment.

Pietrangelo and Seib are the reasons to see the show. They have natural chemistry and remain entirely in sync throughout. Watching them at the piano and tickling the ivories is theatre gold. There’s also audience interaction which is part of the fun. A heads up about that participation – the guys don’t necessarily point to people sitting in the front row.

As Moscowitz, Pietrangelo appears to be the grounded of the two. His snappy portrayal of poking fun at the Sam Spade film noir detective kept me smiling. In juxtaposition and contrast, Jackson Seib delivers tip-top work in playing each murder suspect. He’s lean and limber. He frolics and cavorts, sometimes leaves the stage through the house, and appears from the other side with nary sounding out of breath.

Oh, to be that young again, to move quickly and not get winded in the process.

Another Thought: When I taught high school drama for one year many years ago, I dreaded teaching improvisation—it’s one of the hardest things to do with high school students. They only wanted to sound and be like the latest comedian.

Pietrangelo and Seib have demonstrated that there’s more to improvisation as an art form. Doing it well requires stamina, concentration, and the innate ability to know when improvisation will work. These two guys deliver standing-ovation performances that are well-earned and deserved. They never upstage each other. By listening and responding appropriately, comic effect naturally ensues.

I admire that, as I could never ad-lib in improv when I was involved in community theatre years ago. It was always a ‘stick to the script’ format for me.

Don't be concerned if Seib and Pietrangelo don’t follow the script when you see the show. It’s so much fun watching how they get back on it.

In his Director’s Programme Note, Jeremy Webb writes that “Murder’ proved to be a most challenging play to put together when it was created last year as part of Halifax’s Neptune Theatre/Festival Antigonish’s Summer Theatre partnership. Webb was ecstatic when Thousand Islands Playhouse Artistic Director Brett Christopher said, ‘Let’s do this in Gananoque.

My guest and I were also pleased the show travelled westward.

Go and see it.

Running time: approximately one hour and 45 minutes with one interval (intermission).

‘Murder for Two’ runs until August 25 at The Firehall Theatre, 185 South Street, Gananoque. For tickets: call the Box Office at (613) 382-7020 or visit 1000islandsplayhouse.com.

THOUSAND ISLANDS PLAYHOUSE presents
‘MURDER FOR TWO’ Book and Music by Joe Kinosian; Book and Lyrics by Kellen Blair

Director: Jeremy Webb
Musical Director: Avery-Jean Brennan
Choreographer: Liliona Quarmyne
Set Designer: Vickie Marston
Costume Designer: Diego Cavedon Dias
Lighting Designer: Ingrid Risk
Sound Designer: Paul Morgan Donald
Stage Manager: Jenn Hewitt
Assistant Director: Matt Lacas

Performers: Scott Pietrangelo, Jackson Seib