Check out our video for SHEAR MADNESS! Patrick Noonan and Lisa McMillan talk about this hilarious show on stage now until Sunday, October 6th. And when we say hilarious – we mean it!! Shear Madness is one of the most popular productions in the world and it’s so amazing to hear so much hearty laughter in our house each night! Don’t miss!
Our thanks to Overabove for producing our great vids!
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Shear Madness is one of the most popular productions in the world, delighting audiences night after night with its unique blend of madcap improvisation and spine-tickling mystery.
This unique comedy-whodunit takes place today in the Shear Madness hairstyling salon and is chock full of up-to-the-minute spontaneous humor. During the course of the action, a murder is committed and the audience gets to spot the clues, question the suspects, and solve the funniest mystery in the annals of crime.
The outcome is never the same, which is why many audience members return again and again to the scene of the mayhem.
Voted “Best Comedy of the Year” seven times by the Boston Globe and recipient of the title “Best Play of the Year” by both the Chicago Sun-Times and the Philadelphia Enquirer, Shear Madness has also received the Raven Award from the Mystery Writers of America and has been inducted into the Comedy Hall of Fame, the first play ever to receive that accolade.
Picture courtesy of Shear Madness: Patrick Noonan and Jordan Ahnquist
Jordan Ahnquist* (Tony) is excited to be making his Ivoryton debut in Shear Madness. After cutting his teeth (‘er hair?) as Mikey then Tony in Boston’s flagship production of Shear Madness (now in its 40th year!!), Jordan headed to NYC to open the Off Broadway run. Outside the salon, Jordan has worked with Milwaukee Rep, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Florida Studio Theatre, Barnstormers, Lyric Stage, Speakeasy Stage, Central Square Theatre and The Gamm among others. Some favorite credits include Leo in The Producers, Huck in Big River, Urinetown, LittleShop of Horrors, When Pigs Fly, Hamlet, Big River, Heartbreak House, Mr g, [title of show], Urinetown, and Tartuffe. Jordan holds a BA in theatre from Muhlenberg College. www.jordanahnquist.com
Siobhan Fitzgerald* (Barbara Demarco) is so excited to be returning to the Ivoryton Playhouse after playing the role of Libby in I Ought To Be In Pictures. Some favorite credits include: Les Miserables (Cosette), Jane Eyre (Jane Eyre), Gypsy (Louise), Cinderella (Cinderella) and Little Women (Meg March). Siobhan has also enjoyed singing with the New York Grand Opera, Greater Hartford Opera Ensemble, Prelude to Performance and Simsbury Light Opera. Big Thank you to Jacqui, Dan and this incredible cast and crew. Enjoy the show!
Lev Harvey (Mikey) is a New York based actor and is thrilled to be making his Ivoryton debut! New York credits include OFF BROADWAY: Death of a Salesman (Happy Loman-2016 Drama Desk Nominee), Twelfth Night (Feste), Winter’s Tale (Camillo), The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Joe Farkas), The Bespoke Overcoat (Al), The Constant Wife (John Middleton), and Ghosts (Oswald Alving). He was also featured on MTV’s The Substitute. He is a graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and an active member of The Freeman Studio. Big thanks to Mom, Dad, Max, Noah, Benny, Annie and Gustavo for always being in his corner. Follow him on instagram @louielev.
Lisa McMillan* (Mrs. Shubert) is delighted to join Ivoryton Playhouse! Her Broadway and Off B’way credits include the infamous Moose Murders (w/Eve Arden, Holland Taylor,) La Cage Aux Folles (Arthur Laurents, dir.), Ruthless, Shear Madness etc. Numerous regional theatre productions include Mame (Walnut St. Theatre, Barrymore Award nominee), August: Osage County (American Stage, Norton Award), Night of the Iguana (Denver Center), A Delicate Balance (Two River), Gypsy (w/ Rita Moreno), seasons with Alabama, Utah Shakespeare Festivals etc. She has appeared in feature films, commercials, and a recurring role on ABC soap The City. Directing credits include the Ordway Theatre, Galveston Musical Theater. Lisa is a graduate of Juilliard.
Bill Mootos* (Eddie) is delighted to be returning to Ivoryton Playhouse, having appeared in I’m Connecticut several seasons ago. Recent credits include Race with Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, The Little Foxes at Lyric Stage Company of Boston, The Salonierres with Greater Boston Stage Company, Mothers And Sons at Shakespeare & Company, and Antony & Cleopatra with Concert Theatre Works. He has performed on stages throughout the Northeast, including New Repertory Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Playhouse on Park, Gloucester Stage Company, Central Square Theatre, The Gamm Theatre, Boston Playwrights Theatre, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, The Vineyard Playhouse, Sierra Rep, Garage Theater Group, North Shore Music Theatre, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Wheelock Family Theatre, and many others. Films include Little Women, Daddy’s Home 2, Chappaquiddick, The Company Men and The Makeover, among others. He has served in Union leadership in the Screen Actors Guild and AEA since 2003, and serves on the National Board of SAG-AFTRA.
Patrick Noonan* (Nick) is happy to be making his Ivoryton Playhouse debut. He has performed Nick in several cities across the country as well as the the entirety of the OFF-Browadway run. Other Off-Broadway credits include Almost Maine (Daryl Roth Theatre) and Perfect Crime (Snapple Theatre). Patrick just finished filming Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story which will be released in December of 2020. Earlier this year, he originated the role of Evan in the world premiere of Hard Cell at Geva Theatre. Some favorite roles include Edgar in Irma Vep (Florida Studio Theatre), Charlie in On Golden Pond (Geva Theatre Center), King Arthur in Spamelot (FST), and Murray in The Odd Couple (Cape Playhouse). His TV/film credits include: The Blacklist, Bull, The Sinner, Blue Bloods, Orange is the New Black, Homeland, Mindhunter, Friends from College, 30 Rock, Law and Order (Law and Order, SVU, and Criminal Intent), John Glaser Loves Gear, The Post, Windows of the World, The Princess Diaries and The Half of It (in post-production).
Director: Robert Lohrmann
Stage Manager: James Joseph Clark*
Scenic Designer: Daniel Nischan
Lighting Designer: Marcus Abbott
Sound Designer: Tate R. Burmeister
Costume Designer: Liz Saylor
* member of Actors Equity
Marilyn Abrams and Bruce Jordan
Marilyn Abrams (Original Co-Producer) and Bruce Jordan (Original Co-Producer, Director) are the owners and creators of Shear Madness, the longest-running nonmusical play in the american theater history.
These two New York actors anticipated the trend for interactive theater and acquired the world stage, film, and television rights to an obscure murder mystery originally titled Scherenschnitt, written by German playwright Paul Portner. In 1978, the play made its debut in the United States in a summer stock production in Lake George, New York. Mr. Jordan directed and created the role of Tony Whitcomb, salon proprietor, and Ms. Abrams created the role of Barbara DeMarco, the gum-chewing manicurist.
This exuberant duo oversees the Shear Madness companies across the USA and in diverse international cities such as Paris, London, Rome, Budapest, Athens, Johannesburg, Buenos Aires, Seoul, Barcelona and Madrid. While each occasionally takes time out to pursue other stage and film work, both make frequent visits to Shear Madness cities, where Mr. Jordan directs and maintains the artistic quality of the productions and Ms. Abrams handles sales and marketing.
The 38-year-old Boston company is the longest running play in American theatre history with the Washington, D.C. production at the John F. Kennedy Center running in second place. The play has been listed in The Guinness Book of World Records, and Boston’s Warrenton Street, location of the historic Charles Playhouse, is officially known as “Shear Madness Alley”. The Chicago company is the 3rd longest running play in the history of the American theatre, completing a Shear Madness Theatrical Triple Crown. Other honors include the Mystery Writers of America Raven Award, The Boston Globe’s Best Comedy of the Year, The Chicago Tribune’s Best Play of the Year, Boston’s Elliot Norton Award, The Los Angeles Dramalogue Award, the USO Award for Outstanding Contribution in the Theatrical Arts, and The Philadelphia Daily News’ Best Play of the Year.
In October of 1997, Ms. Abrams and Mr. Jordan were the recipients of the Charlie Chaplin Comedy Award, given by the National Comedy Hall of Fame, as the creators of Shear Madness, the first play ever to be so honored.
Check back here for press releases, photos and video clips!
PRESS RELEASE
America’s Favorite Comedy Whodunnit
SHEAR MADNESS At the Ivoryton Playhouse
Ivoryton – Shear Madness, one of the most popular comedy productions in the world, is opening in Ivoryton on September 18, 2019. This iconic production was first produced in Boston in 1980 and has been delighting audiences ever since with its unique blend of madcap improvisation and spine-tickling mystery.
This unique comedy-whodunit takes place today in the Shear Madness hairstyling salon and is chock full of up-to-the-minute spontaneous humor. During the course of the action, a murder is committed and the audience gets to spot the clues, question the suspects, and solve the funniest mystery in the annals of crime. The outcome is never the same, which is why many audience members return again and again to the scene of the mayhem.
Voted “Best Comedy of the Year” seven times by the Boston Globe and recipient of the title “Best Play of the Year” by both the Chicago Sun-Times and the Philadelphia Enquirer, Shear Madness has also received the Raven Award from the Mystery Writers of America and has been inducted into the Comedy Hall of Fame, the first play ever to receive that accolade.
Shear Madness is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running play in the history of the USA. The flagship Boston company has given birth to 50 productions in the U.S. and Shear Madness has been translated into 23 foreign languages, playing worldwide in a host of cities including Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Paris, Rejkavik, Rome, Tel Aviv, Melbourne, Johannesburg and Seoul. Over 12.5 million people worldwide have joined in the fun.
The production features veteran performers Jordan Ahnquist*, Patrick Noonan*, and Lisa McMillan* who have performed these roles many times – most recently in the off Broadway production. They will be joined by Ivoryton Playhouse alum Bill Mootus* and Siobhan Fitzgerald* and Lev Harvey will be making his Playhouse debut.
The production is directed by Robert Lohrmann with set design by Daniel Nischan, lighting design by Marcus Abbott and costume design by Liz Saylor.
Shear Madness opens at the Ivoryton Playhouse on September 18th and runs through October 6th, 2019. Performance times are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Evening performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm.
Tickets are $55 for adults; $50 for seniors; $25 for students and $20 for children and are available by calling the Playhouse box office at 860-767-7318 or by visiting our website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org
(Group rates are available by calling the box office for information. Discounted tickets after 6pm on Thursday evenings – get half price adult ticket (subject to availability). Six-Tix are only available at the Playhouse Box Office window and do not apply to special events. Limit 4 Six Tix per person.) The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton.
Members of the press are welcome at any performance after September 20, 2019
Picture courtesy of Shear Madness: Patrick Noonan and Jordan Ahnquist
*denotes member of Actors Equity
Looking for something to do? Ivoryton Playhouse has been voted best place to see live theatre by readers of The Shoreline Times for three years in a row. Come to Essex and visit our historic, professional theatre – a Connecticut treasure!