Murder, mayhem come to ABOB stage in March
CONNEAUT – It’s New Year’s Eve and wealthy Matthew Perry continues a family tradition of sharing his resolution for the coming year. He tells his wife he’s going to murder her.
Thus begins the screwball comedy play “A Little Murder Never Hurt Anybody,” a wild ride on the stage of Arlene’s Broadway on Buffalo at 236 Buffalo St.
The play runs the weekends of March 3 and March 10, with Friday and Saturday presentations at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.
While a number of deaths follow Perry’s bizarre announcement, none of them include his wife, who thought her husband’s plan was merely a sick joke.
The play can best be described as a screwball comedy for the video cassette era, said director David Bucci.
There are lots of off-the wall characters, like Perry’s wife, Julia, who spends much of her time rolling her eyes at her hapless husband; longtime butler Buttram, who is not as straight-laced as you might think; daughter Bunny, for whom being dim-witted would be a compliment; Bunny’s fiancé, Donald, who misjudges the bizarre goings-on; and Plotnik, a detective who watches too many film noir mystery movies and thinks he is smart, but is not.
Bucci said the play promises lots of jokes and a generous supply of slapstick.
The ensemble cast includes Michael Mote as Matthew Perry, Babs Legeza as wife Julia, Stella Chambers as Bunny, Clay Nielsen as Buttram, Ryan Van Buren as Donald and Robert Lebzelter as Plotnik.
The play was written by Ron Bernas and presented through Samuel French Inc. It’s the first play of the year at ABOB. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and are available at the door, which open 45 minutes before show time.