Whodunit? APPLAUSE! Musicals in Concert seeks the answer by bringing another forgotten musical to audiences.
October 13th to 15th APPLAUSE! presents Curtains, a musical comedy whodunnit with music and lyrics by Broadway collaborators Kander & Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret, Kiss of the Spiderwoman), at Arts Umbrella.
Another forgotten musical, Curtains is a hilarious 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 (beginning in 1962), boast the longest-lasting composer-lyricist collaboration in the history of Broadway. Highlights of their extensive portfolio of over 20 musicals include Cabaret & Chicago stand out musical that both achieved huge 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.
APPLAUSE! presentation of Curtains, in concert (performed book-in-hand) features a large including (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.
Marking the company’s 49th musical in concert, Curtains is directed by APPLAUSE! founder Scott Ashton Swan with musical direction by Diane Spiers and will run four performances October 13 (8pm), October 14 (2pm & 8pm), and October 15 (2pm) at Arts Umbrella 1400 Johnston Street, (formerly Emily Carr School), Granville Island. More information about the performance is available online at applausemusicals.com with tickets available at Eventbrite.ca.