Shakespeare it's not. But "Shear Madness," the long-running comedic whodunit currently at the Chicago Theatre, plays as fast and easy with the laughs as it does with the flamboyant characters, playful plot and nudge-nudge-wink-wink audience participation.
Of course, where some will see nothing but swishing stereotypes, others will find a tongue-in-cheek jab at the lighter side of hair salons. Trashy, campy fun or stone-age stereotype? Either way, the crowds are laughing. Loudly.
Set entirely in a Boystown hair salon, "Shear Madness" centers around the murder of an unseen landlord, a prominent, eccentric pianist who lives upstairs. Tipped off that the landlord may have been victim of a blackmail scheme, the police quickly narrow in on the people who are downstairs at the time of her death, including the sugary, flamboyant salon-owner, energetically played by Jonathan Molitor.
The real twist? Mid-way through the first act, the house lights come up and the audience gets in on the action—confirming alibis, interrogating witnesses and eventually voting for who they think did it. And though a recent Sunday matinee was only lightly attended (the kiss of death for a participation-driven show), the audience was chomping at the bit by the second act to get involved.
In some ways, it's hard not to want to play along (even when a good bit of the humor relies on verbal blunders like substituting "Lebanese" for "lesbian"). The set, painted in splashes of blue and orange, is the perfect bubble-gum backdrop for goofy humor and overblown physical comedy (check out the bossomy lean of the shampoo girl). Indeed, bubble gum sums up much of this light work—sweet, goofy, fun…and best enjoyed without much reflection.
"Shear Madness" is in an open run at the Chicago Theatre. 7:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday-Friday; 6 & 9 p.m. Saturday; 3 & 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $42.50.
