Lyric Stage Company Presents "Murder for Two" - Through December 24th

Lyric Stage Company of Boston continues its season with the madcap two-hander musical "Murder for Two." Book and Music are by Joe Kinosian and Book and Lyrics by Kellen Blair. This production is Directed by A. Nora Long, with Musical Direction by Bethany Aiken and Choreography by David Connolly. Scenic Design is by Shelley Barish, Costumes by Tobi Rinaldi, Lighting by Heather Crocker, and Sound by Andrew Duncan Will.

The play is a spoof on murder mysteries, with a dizzying array of characters played by only two actors. The always entertaining Jared Troilo plays Marcus Moscowitz, a policeman who is hoping that solving the murder that has just taken place will earn him his coveted promotion to Detective. Kirsten Salpini plays all of the suspects, in an assignment that compels her to switch identities in a split-second. Some of her characters are more believable than others.

Despite hard and praiseworthy work on the part of Mr. Troilo and Ms. Salpini, the concept of the show did not work well for me. I found the writing to be often silly and sophomoric, missing the mark of clever parody. The musical seems to aim at the same target that worked well for the movie "Clue." That movie was one of the inspirations that prompted A. Nora Long to direct this production. Unfortunately, the weight of the hackneyed plot is too much for two actors to bear.

Jared Trilo as The Detective
Kirsten Salpini as Suspect
"Murder for Two"
Lyric Stage Company of Boston
Through December 24th
Photo by Mark S. Howard

The play will run through December 24th, and could provide light diversion from the rigors of Christmas shopping if you enjoyed "Clue."

Lyric Stage Website

Enjoy!

Al

"The Nix" by Nathan Hill - A Provocative and Entertaining Novel

"The Nix" by Nathan Hill is a tour de force novel that takes the reader on a fantastic voyage that reaches back to the violent 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention police riots. Since  I was studying in the Chicago area during those years, I found the telling of this story to be fascinating and provocative, and to have accurately captured the spirit of the time.

Protagonist Stephen Andresen-Anderson is a college professor who faces many difficult challenges. A one time rising literary star based on a hit first novel, he has struggled to follow up that meteoric success with any additional novels. He faces serious struggles with his college administration and with a  plagiarizing student who is the very epitome of an entitled generation of Millennials. Through these and other characters, Mr. Hill is commenting wryly on many things he sees going off the rails in 21st century America.

Stephen's world is turned upside down when his mother, who had abandoned the family many years ago, suddenly surfaces as a notorious criminal. She threw rocks at a Presidential candidate and is in jail awaiting trial. Stephen is coerced into trying to help her, and the rest of the novel is devoted to his search for the secret to her black hole of a past. His journey of discovery and self-discovery takes him all the way back to an ancestral home in rural Norway. There are surprises and revelations at every turn.

The story is intriguing, beautifully written, and thought-provoking.

Enjoy!

Al