“…with Gruson at the helm of the Ottawa Little Theatre production of [this] quirky 1977 comedy, laughter and just the right level of melodrama are the order of the day.”
“Who said murderous scenarios can’t be funny? The bumbling gang in Jack Sharkey’s farcical The Murder Room, mounted with vigour and tongue firmly in cheek at OLT, are downright hilarious as they grapple with being either ill-intentioned but wholly likeable baddies or easily distracted but self-absorbed goodies.”
“The Murder Room is quite simply a fun night of theatre that will remind you how good it feels to just let go and laugh at something completely ridiculous.”
Production Details
By: Jack Sharkey
Director: Geoff Gruson
Genre: Mystery Farce
Running: January 12 – 30, 2016
Matinee: Jan. 24
“If Monty Python asked Agatha Christie to commission Noel Coward to write a vehicle for Abbott and Costello, you’d have The Murder Room.” – Theatre Mirror
In this uproarious take-off of the lock-room murder genre, Mavis and her lover plan to rub out her wealthy husband, and seem to have succeeded all too easily, but have they?
CAST (in order of appearance)
Edgar Hollister…………………….Michael McSheffrey
Mavis Templeton………………….Irish O’Brien
Lottie Molloy……………………….Kelly Fuoco
Inspector James Crandall……..Andrew Michael McCarville
Susan Hollister…………………….Maryse Fernandes
Barry Draper………………………..Phillip David Merriman
About the Playright
Jack Sharkey was born on May 6th, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois. He began writing when he was 10 years old. He graduated from college with a BA in Creative Writing. Following his graduation, Sharkey taught school for two years. In 1955, Sharkey enlisted in the Army. He served at Sandia Base, New Mexico as a Special Services worker. He wrote, produced, and directed one show per month for the Enlisted Men’s Club. In 1958, Sharkey left the army and moved to New York to begin a full-time freelance writing career. He wrote Science Fiction stories and novels, humor articles, and mystery novels. He wrote his first stage comedy in 1965. At the end of 1975, he shifted his focus to playwriting. He has 83 published plays written under his own name and pseudonyms such as: Rick Abbot, Monk Ferris, Mark Chandler, and Mike Johnson. The idea of writing under pseudonyms came about due to theatres shying away from doing more than one play by an author per season. Mike Johnson wrote only stage thrillers. All the other plays are comedies and/or musicals. Jack Sharkey passed away on September 28th, 1992, leaving behind him a large array of plays for history to enjoy.
Production Sponsor
