Shear Madness
Shear Madness is one of the longest-running nonmusical plays in the world,[1] owned and created by Marilyn Abrams and Bruce Jordan. Shear Madness is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running play in American theater history. [2][3]
Creation and Plot
Marilyn Abrams and Bruce Jordan acquired rights for a murder mystery originally titled "Scherenschnitt," written by Swiss playwright Paul Portner, and made it into "Shear Madness." The play is set in a unisex hair salon in the city in which it plays. The landlady Isabel Czerny who lives above the shop is murdered and the audience gets involved in the action by questioning the actors and attempting to solve the crime. The characters include a flamboyant hairdresser and his flirty yet ditsy assistant, along with a prim and proper uptight older lady and an older man who is a "used antique dealer." The ending of the play is different every night as audience members hear clues, question the characters and solve the crime.[4] The outcome is not always the same . The audience is not aware that they are actually deciding the ending, and not just voting on who they think did it.
Performance History
Shear Madness opened in Boston at the Charles Playhouse Stage II in January 1980. The Boston production is the second longest running non-musical play in the world (after The Mousetrap), and the production at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. is the second longest running play ever, having opened in August 1987.
Performance Locations
| City | Theatre | Website | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston, MA | Charles Playhouse | Website | Currently Running |
| Washington, DC | John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Website | Currently Running |
| Las Vegas, NV | Shear Madness Theatre - Town Square Las Vegas | Website | Opening November 14, 2008 |