By BETH HENDRICKS

For The Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON - It's the musical comedy that isn't - a musical, that is.

Marshall University Theatre will present "The Musical Comedy Murders Of 1940" Nov. 14-17 at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center. Showtime is 8 p.m. each evening.

"When I first put up the audition call, I wrote 'This is not a musical!', but the title notwithstanding, it is a comedy and it is a murder mystery," said director and adjunct professor David Cook. "This show is pure entertainment. I would compare it to a comedic Agatha Christie. There's no deep hidden message here."

Written by Josh Bishop, "The Musical Comedy Murders" enjoyed a run both on and Off-Broadway. The storyline untangles the mystery of the "Stage Door Slasher" and pokes fun at "the more ridiculous aspects of show biz."

"The show is set in the library of a mansion in 1940 and is a gathering of theater people - a director, composer, actors and others - trying to convince a donor to fund a new show. Of course, that's the premise, but the real reason they've assembled it to try to uncover who this 'Stage Door Slasher' is who killed three chorus girls in a earlier show," Cook explained. "There's a lot of confusion in the show, the characters are not particularly deep and there are a lot of highly improbable situations as the night progresses.

"Actually, you will hear a song or two, but what you hear won't be particularly pretty."

The show is categorized as a farce and Cook said it was selected not only for its entertainment value, but because it offers budding actors and actresses a unique performance opportunity.

"This is a training program and we want to give these students different challenges they'll face," Cook said. "Farce and comedy are particularly challenging because everything is so dependent on timing and rhythm and ensemble work. This one is a fun evening at the theater for everybody involved."

Ticket prices are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and MU faculty/staff, $7 for children younger than 17 and free to MU students with valid student ID. For more information, call (304) 696-2787.

Photo courtesy of Sam Kincaid

Set designer Jamez Morris-Smith (center, white sweatshirt) works with students on the set of Marshall’s upcoming production of “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940.”