Shear Madness at the Majestic: Hysterical!

Shear Madness: One of the Funniest Plays I’ve Seen in a Long Time

I thought I’d missed the beginning of Shear Madness, the latest production at the Majestic Theater, but I hadn’t.  That’s because the show begins with the actors already on stage wordlessly acting out a scene in a hair salon. It takes a solid amount of time after it begins before one word of dialogue is spoken.

Yet, I was laughing from the very beginning at the antics of Tony Whitcomb (Steven Sands). It started the moment he poured an entire bottle of shampoo into his hands preparing to assault/shampoo his hapless prone victim, Mikey (Michael DeVito).  Sands’ outfit with the multicolored shoes and his deft barbering mannerisms were delightful. With her leopard skin leggings and generous decolletage, Barbara DeMarco (Elizabeth Pietrangelo) was the perfect foil for the exaggerated Tony’s swooping all over the set.  With his Biden shades and Patriots T-shirt, Lt Nick O’Brien cracked me up from his entrance. It was just after a Village People gag. And the audience never stopped laughing.

Shear Madness is more than a play, it’s an interactive comedy that changes every night. For more than 44 years this production has brought the audience into the script by turning it around and asking them to help solve the murder mystery. This long-running show in Boston or at the Kennedy Center in DC is legendary for its longevity.  It unfolds differently each time it is produced with very topical and relevant jokes that tonight brought Western Mass into the script.

“She’s from Longmeadow”… says Mrs Shubert (Benita Zahn).  “EAST Longmeadow,” is the retort, with a groan. We all know the difference, right?

The cast has a ball with malapropisms which are even funnier when Lt. Nick O’Brien (Jeff Haffner) of the West Springfield Police Department, corrects them incorrectly.  “She played a Steinman,” says Mrs. Shubert, referring to the murdered piano player, and O’Brien corrects her with a knowing glance– ‘A Steinbeck.’

At one point Tony declares he must have ‘ESPN,’ to which Eddie (Jack Grigoli) replies, “I’ve got ESPN 2!”

It continues as the actors discuss “Lebanese” relationships and O’Brien spells out how the audience is going to have to “V.O.A.T.”  At some points, the actors even pull out entire punchlines from popular 2024 TV commercials to get a laugh, and they do. They even manage to joke about Boar’s Head deli meats…talk about topical!

The set and the costumes went together well, all with bright colors and a simple design.  Set designer Dan Rist created a solid set that took a beating as the characters slammed doors, spun chairs, and washed hair in the sink with real water. It never let up, a solid slapstick and thoroughly hilarious ride with these likable characters as stylists or customers creating a complicated situation involving…a murder. Much of the humor was in the exaggerated gestures with more Western Mass references and hilarious word salads.

It would not have been as fun if I knew what was coming.  So when Lt. O’Brien requested the house lights be turned up and declared that the audience would need to help him solve this murder, I cracked up when the cast turned around as one and looked out at us, aghast.  Them? Are they going to solve it?

O’Brien solicits help and audience members begin to yell out questions…only to be met by skeptical actors who belittle and mock said audience.

“I got this at Dollar General, the same place you got that shirt!” comes one retort to someone up in the balcony.  “Ok Crimestopper, go ahead and guess,”  as another theory was put forth from the audience.

Everyone gets a chance to say something wacky and they all manage to do this with gusto. The energy and site gags keep popping.

By the time it’s all through, however, we are spirited to a darker place where the victim might have killed herself, and the talk gets serious.  The interesting aspect here is that it can go any of four ways, it’s up to how observant the audience is and what they yell out.

Shear Madness holds the record for the longest-running non-musical show in history and premiered back in 1978, from a play written by German playwright Paul Pörtner. This Majestic production had some insiders: it was directed by Bob Lohrmann, who is the artistic director for the Shear Madness company in DC,  and Jeff Haffner, returning to this role for the 7th time.

Part of its appeal and one reason for its striking longevity is how from the very beginning the show is always tailored to where it’s being produced.  So we can all make fun of Chicopee with glee.

Shear Madness, Majestic Theater, West Springfield through October 20.  Tickets are $35-$38 and can be purchased at the box office or over the phone at (413) 747-7797. website