'Shear Madness' St. Croix Off Broadway Dinner theatre

Shear Madness written by Paul Portner and directed by James A. Zimmerman is playing at St. Croix Off Broadway Dinner theatre. This dinner show's explosive energy and interactive format will have you begging for more.

Shear Madness is blend of madcap improvisation and spine-tickling mystery. A murder is committed in a hair salon.  During the pre-show, characters move around the set to Devil with the Blue Dress by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. To kick off the play, an actor waves frantically to get a hairdresser’s attention.  The hairdresser, Tony (Michael McKay), waves back as if to a friend and returns to his phone conversation. This gets a laugh.

Nick (Carney Gray) has powerful energy on stage as the angry detective, and has a clear connection with his audience. After his interrogation, he says, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is where you come in.” The surprise on everyone’s face upon learning knowing there will be audience engagement is contagious. Everyone looks around surprised, including the actors as if just learning there were people watching all along.

“We’re going to be reconstructing the crime scene," Nick says. "Raise your hand if you disagree with anything." Bewilderment registers on patrons’ faces--you mean I have to think back on everything I just saw? “Does anyone have any questions?” Nick says. A patron’s hand raises, and Nick responds with, “Thank you sir, that’s exactly the information I was looking for.” The audience participation increases laughter tremendously. All of a sudden everyone gets involved, creating the biggest possible connection a show can get.

To add to the immersive experience, a patron is asked to call a witness on their personal cell phone. “This doesn’t look like a Wisconsin number," she says. “It looks like a Rochester one.”  She dials it anyway. With luck someone answers and the conversation is put on speaker. The person on the other line is on the game and provides enough information to keep the reenactment moving along.

The use of local destinations--like St. Paul Park, Lake Elmo, and Hudson makes Portner’s script memorable. The play is also riddled with innuendos, modern associations and political references like this one: “Any law against being discreet?” Nick asks, and the assistant investigator, played by Christopher Dean, responds with, “Donald Trump doesn’t think so." Or this one: "I took an Uber for the first time." "How was it?" "I’m Uber it."

Although a fling of a towel over an actor’s shoulder is all that’s needed to place the action in a beauty salon, the detailed set, designed by James A. Zimmerman, has orange painted walls and teal barber chairs.

The actors leave the stage with the message that each show guarantees a different ‘whodunit’ scenario, as patrons are asked ‘whodunit’ at intermission and there response determines the ending.

Tickets at https://www.stcroixoffbroadway.com/