Need a new hairdo? There is a fun new salon in St. Jacobs that comes highly recommended.
Just don’t ask for Tony if you value your hair, and gentlemen may prefer Barbara.
If you value intrigue and laughter then this salon and all of its divergent characters can be found on stage at the St. Jacobs Schoolhouse Theatre.
With the inclusion of priceless local references and audience input, the show is irresistibly relatable.
This hilarious whodunit features a cast of six characters whose energy and fun spill out into the audience.
The small and intimate venue of the Schoolhouse Theatre is conducive to the interactive spirit of the show.
North America’s longest running comedy-mystery, Drayton Entertainments’ Shear Madness is on stage until Dec. 23.
Hairdresser Tony and manicurist Barbara start their workday as usual, with a bedlam of dancing to tunes and sharing some gossip.
Customers appear and the inept day proceeds until concert pianist Isabel Czerny is murdered in the upstairs apartment.
Tony, Barbara, and their customers, sketchy antiques dealer Eddie Lawrence, supercilious socialite Eleanor Shubert and cops Nick Rosetti and Mikey Thomas all become suspects.
The audience is called into play when Detective Rosetti pleads for their assistance in reenacting the events leading up to the crime.
The audience becomes keenly engaged in volunteering observations that help to solve the murder, culminating in an ending that reflects their input.
Robbie Towns makes a fabulous Drayton Entertainment debut as animated hairstylist Tony Whitcomb. His antics often seem ad-libbed and his co-stars are amusingly taken off guard by it.
Whether he is bemoaning the Palmerston lifestyle, angsting about his goulash dinner party or impersonating Carol Channing, he is a joy to watch. Towns has previously appeared in numerous productions, mostly on the west coast.
Also making a strong Drayton Entertainment debut, Jacquelyn French plays manicurist/stylist Barbara DeMarco. She is crafty and appealing as the gum chomping, seen-it-all, stereotypical manicurist though she plays it with edge.
Among her credits, French has appeared in several TV series including Schitt’s Creek and The Handmaid’s Tale as well as many Stratford productions.
Andrea Risk appears in various states of hair as the privileged Eleanor Shubert. She plays it with a depth that makes her more suspect. Risk is memorable from Drayton Entertainments’ One for the Pot and Boeing Boeing among others.
Gordon Gammie plays Eddie Lawrence, the no-fun antiques dealer with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, sadly identifying the Rachmaninov piece being played upstairs.
Kevin Sepaul and Gregory Pember are detectives Nick Rosetti and Mikey Thomas though both start out as hapless salon customers.
Sepaul takes his detective role very seriously, even working overtime into the intermission. His wordplay is fun, he is likeable in his role, and very convincing as a detective. Interacting audience members treat him with due respect. Apparently Sepaul has played the role many times before but each time brings fresh material.
Pember quite willingly goes through the wringers at the salon before getting down to business as not the sharpest cop on the force. He is remembered from Drayton Entertainment roles in The Rainmaker, Beauty and the Beast and others.
Shear Madness is directed by Bob Lohrmann, who is the associate artistic director for the John F. Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C., where the show continues its three-decade run, defying all records and garnering many awards.
Set designer David Antscher has created a most inviting salon that seems to be open to let the audience in. The ebullient tap and sink and various tools of the trade are all in working order, allowing for the havoc they can create.
Costume designer Nicole Del Cul has designed outfits that exemplify each character, down to Tonys’ pink running shoes.
Written by Paul Portner, Shear Madness is internationally renowned, having been translated into ten foreign languages, and played across the world.
Perhaps being a different show each time keeps it alive and so very much fun.
Tickets may be purchased in person at any Drayton Entertainment Box Office, online at www.draytonentertainment.com or by calling the box office at 519-747-7788 or toll free at 1-855-drayton (372-9866).
