Murder for Two
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Murder For Two is not your normal musical. But it is a hilarious one.
Two actors, 13 characters, one piano, and a murder. Sounds like the perfect set-up for an entertaining show, and luckily, TikTok sensation Gabbi Bolt and multi-talented performer Maverick Newman deliver.
Arthur Whitney, a celebrated mystery novelist, is killed as he enters a birthday party at his mansion thrown by his wife Dahlia. The event is meant to be a high-profile celebration, but the murder throws everything into disarray.
Officer Marcus Moscowicz is a small-town cop with dreams of becoming a detective. He is thrust into the investigation, where he must unravel clues, navigate a cast of quirky suspects, and solve the crime—all while facing the ensuing comedic chaos.
Bolt's background in musical comedy was essential for this role, as she perfectly embodied Marcus's character. She played the piano flawlessly while reacting to all of Newman's antics. Additionally, Bolt delivered an impressive vocal performance, with "A Friend Like You" being a highlight of the show.
While Bolt plays one of the characters, Newman leads a masterclass on character acting. All 12 of his characters are easily identifiable. Newman gives each character a different posture, accent, intonation of voice, or exaggerated facial expressions, especially when playing Barette.
Richard Carroll's direction, especially for Newman, was wonderful; there was never any confusion about who he was playing at any given moment. This was evident during the song, It Was Her, which was a duet between two characters played by Newman, yet it was still easy to tell which person was singing at any given time.
Bolt and Newman use the piano as another character in this show, not only as backing music for the songs, but also to highlight moments of suspense, drama and comedy.
Both actors played the piano while singing, acting, and flawlessly delivering every joke, showcasing their talent and comedic timing. Additionally, there were times when they would swap who was playing mid-song or play together, and at one point, Newman was playing while standing over Bolt. This is some extraordinary talent when it comes to piano playing.
The main feature of the set is the massive Steinberg piano positioned in the centre on a dias. Behind the piano are large frosted windows that regularly light up with two big diffused lights, symbolising cars arriving. The rest of the set is lined with bookshelves, creating a beautiful and welcoming space for the audience. Since the theatre is a thrust stage, the design by the set designer, Keerthi Subramanyam, aims to create a welcoming vibe, helping both the audience and the cast feel more comfortable interacting.
Newman and Bolt had great chemistry on stage, and it was clear that they were having fun during the show. The book by Kellen Blair and Joe Kinosian is loaded with jokes that had the audience laughing from start to finish.
These two incredibly talented performers have brought Murder for Two to Melbourne for the first time after TWO sell-out seasons in Sydney at Hayes Theatre Company. It's obvious why they sold out—Murder For Two is a hilarious murder mystery that is only here for a very limited time, so try not to miss this one.
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Murder for Two is playing until the 25th August at Fairfax Studio.
