For anyone who has followed my reviews over the years they know I am rarely a style over substance critic. It’s pretty hard to wow me on a visual level if the story, characters, and dialogue aren’t impressing me as well. However, there is an exception to every rule and the latest at Hale Center Theatre is such an experience. Their production of The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 is a visual triumph even if the play itself didn’t do much for me.

When you watch the above trailer for the show one might think there is a black and white filter being applied to the imagery. Amazingly enough that is not the case. Through lighting, costumes, makeup and other trickery they have managed to make a black and white experience for the actors and audience. It truly is a jaw-dropping spectacle to see what they have pulled off. Director Ryan Simmons, scenic designer Jenn Taylor, costume designer Joy Zhu and lighting designer Marianne Ohran have worked together to make something astonishing to watch.

This was my first time seeing The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 and the play is set up with a writer who is writing an old-school murder mystery which comes alive around him as he writes in his office. This setup reminds me a little bit of The Drowsy Chaperone but it becomes more visually interesting because The Author (Jacob Glenn Chapman) is the only one in color while everything around him is various shades of gray. The funniest joke of the night actually happens at the beginning as The Author goes through several time periods he could set the story in with the 80s being particularly funny.

My main problem with the play is I just didn’t find it to be very funny. I recently saw the similar A Little Murder Never Hurt Anybody at Covey and that is a much funnier spoof on a murder mystery. Even A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, which isn’t my favorite, is still funnier than this play. Clue, both musical and non-musical, are also another fun entries in the genre. This barely got a chuckle out of me and the audience surrounding me seemed equally underwhelmed by the laughs.

The acting is all professional quality with Claire Kenny as Elsa and David Marsden as Michael leading the company. They are all doing their best to bring as much camp and over-the-top antics to the goings-on. I just wish the material gave them more to work with.

If you are someone that gets a lot of enjoyment out of visual spectacle on stage than I would recommend seeing The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 at Hale. As I said, it’s worth seeing on a visual level for what they have accomplished but prepare for a plot and story that’s just ok. It’s no The 39 Steps which is a comedy that actually delivers on the murder mystery laughs.

The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 is written by John Bishop and first premiered in 1987.

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