What happens when you mix the brilliant wit of Noël Coward with the intricate plotting of Agatha Christie? Set during a weekend in an English country manor in 1932, Death by Design is a hilarious, delightful and mysterious mash-up of two of the greatest English writers of all time. Edward Bennett, a playwright, and his wife Sorel Bennett, an actress, flee London and head to Cookham after a disastrous opening night. But various guests arrive unexpectedly – a conservative politician, a fiery socialist, a nearsighted ingenue, a zany modern dancer – each with a long-held secret. When one of the guests is murdered, it’s left to Bridgit, the feisty Irish maid with a macabre interest in homicide, to solve the crime. This musical version of Rob Urbinati's Death by Design is more than homage – it’s a new classic, with a terrific musical theatre score that kills!
“Rob Urbinati’s idea of melding Noël Coward and Agatha
Christie into something new, something more, is so brilliant it’s
amazing nobody thought of it before
Death by Design: A Comedy with Songs and Murder. Snappy, urbane dialogue, delightful archetypes and a dash
of slapstick blend into some kind of stylized, comedic wonder.
Two
clever tunes by Peter Mills add that perfect Coward touch to a highly
entertaining evening.” –
Omaha World Herald