Put on a trench coat, grab a magnifying glass and prepare to laugh during “Shear Madness,” the interactive comedy running until June 24 at The Moore Theatre in Downtown Seattle.
With clearly contrived wit and a passion for helping the audience enjoy the show, the ensemble of actors in the production incorporate a script and quick-reaction improvisation to bring together the who-dun-it murder plot. Audience members are even encouraged to do sleuthing of their own.
“Shear Madness” is set in Tony Whitcomb’s barbershop, where he and hairstylist Barbara DeMarco service customers with more than just haircuts and shaves. After helping four customers, Whitcomb complains about the piano-playing, old woman who lives above his salon, and one of them finds a way to silence the music.
Michael Kevin Baldwin, who plays the barber in the show, said the actors invite the audience to join in the mystery partway through the show by pointing out clues or incorrect testimonies given by the suspects on stage. The actors draw on what the audience members offer, so much of the material is in the moment.
The “magic” of “Shear Madness,” he said, is the close relationship the plot direction has with the audience’s reactions.
“In a comedy like this where there is a punch line every three seconds, it is not just about laughs; it’s about screams, gasps and boos,” Baldwin said. “It is a matter of living in the moment, being present and just having fun and answering truthfully and honestly because anything goes.”
Part of the improvisational challenge comes from incorporating facts, pop-culture jabs and timely references into each new show’s script, Baldwin said. As a show in real time, if the date of the production is June 9, then the script also says June 9. If it’s baseball season in Seattle, the actors might comment on the Mariner’s record, he explained.
There are fundamental parts to the script, but part of the wit comes from the actors’ own off-the-cuff comments.
“The six of us and the two understudies, we really care about and believe in this show,” Baldwin said. “We believe in its ability to make people laugh and take people into another world and escape from our everyday life.”
The actors’ jokes and comments are often politically incorrect, sexually suggestive and outright mean, but for many audience members living in today’s world, where lawsuits are rampant and any opinion is nearly always “incorrect,” it is a breath of fresh air to hear a bit of bold humor. Attendees become courageous enough to shout out, sass the actors and even point fingers at hostile characters on stage.
Having seen the show but never experienced interactive improvisation, audience members Trish Niklas and Angie Bateman said they really enjoyed the funny and impromptu production. The often-crude and shocking pop-culture references were not over-the-top but added to the humor of the show, they said.
“Shear Madness” first started production in 1978 at the Lake George Dinner Theater in New York. Now known as the longest-running play in the United Steates, the production in Seattle marks the start of its first national tour.
After a brief hiatus following the Seattle shows, “Shear Madness” will tour different cities around the country from November through May.
For tickets or show time information, visit stgpresents.org.