MURDER MOST PROFITABLE

SHEAR MADNESS, A THRILLER THAT ASKS THE AUDIENCE TO HELP SOLVE THE CRIME, CELEBRATES A RECORD 15 YEARS OF MYSTERY AND MIRTH

What is the play (no musicals, thank you) with the longest consecutive run in American theater history? Why, it's Shear Madness, a comedy thriller that encourages the audience to help solve the mystery. On Jan. 31, at the Charles Playhouse in Boston, the show celebrated its 15th anniversary with its 6,273rd performance, nearly twice as many as the Broadway non-musical champ, Life with Father. And the second longest runner? Shear Madness in Chicago (12 years, 4 months). The Washington production of Shear Madness is another hardy perennial; it has been at the Kennedy Center since mid-1987.

Set in a unisex barber...

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