The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 will play October 25-27 in the Rozsa Center. Tickets are $12.75 and can be purchased by calling 487-2073 or at
www.rozsa.mtu.edu
"The Musical Comedy Murders of
1940 is a deceptively intricate work. I
hope the audience will appreciate the play at its rudimentary style of
farce. At the same time, the play will
tickle the intellectual funny bone of those patrons who have experienced 1930s
musical comedies (theatre and film), 1930s horror films and the likely familiar
“who-done-it?” The characters are stock,
but with a quirky combination of melodrama and musical theatre. The star-crossed lovers of the golden age of
musical comedy are also the hero and heroine of the film genre.
"In 1940, the U.S. was a spectator
of the war in Europe, a society obsessed with the intrigue of espionage and the
mounting tension in Germany, relishing in early 20th century
fascination with “exotic” Asian culture.
Film and theatre of this era were rich with characters, themes, and
plots that removed the audience from the reality of political uncertainty and
the horror of impending human atrocities yet to come. Instead, in traditional theatrical fashion,
theatre (and film) depicted human frailty, allowing theatre-goers to laugh at
their own fears and weaknesses. "
~Trish Helsel, director
