Two Deadly Acts

2m, 1w, 3 either
1m 35-60, 1m 25-60; 1w 20-30; 1 either 30-70, 1 either 40-50, 1 either 22-32

Two Deadly Acts sets act one in the entry hall of Harrington Hall, an elegant mansion, and act two in a representation of the same setting in a theatre, with a completely separate set of characters. We see the lead-up to the fiery destruction of Harrington Hall in act one, then the investigation of the fire in act two. The investigation takes a lot of comic turns. And can it be that everyone dies in both acts?

The play is written so that five actors can play distinct personalities in the two acts: a wealthy father and his estranged son, two dissimilar sisters, a butler and a detective, a crooked lawyer and a contentious mother, and a criminal punk and a flamboyant assistant to the lawyer. Cross-dressing would be possible for one half of each of the last two sets of roles. A stagehand appears onstage briefly at the very end of the show, and a newscaster's voice can optionally be heard at the end of act one.

Lighting effects, sound effects, and props are essential to enhance the production, and can be as simple or complex as desired. Costumes can give visual flair for the setting in 1933. Although they're not necessarily sympathetic, all the characters are given memorable turns, letting Two Deadly Acts provide loads of entertainment with a unique twist on the time-worn murder mystery convention of crime and investigation.