Press Roundup: MURDER FOR TWO

“…Matthew McGloin is fabulous playing a host of suspects, all with a motive…McGloin makes lightning-fast changes as he takes on the roles of the guests. He may don a tutu and feather in his hair to play the ballet dancer, a funny wig to play the novelist’s wife, or a beret to play the niece, but trousers, shirt and vest are never changed. It is McGloin’s gestures, nimble movements and delightful cavorting that capture the various personalities. He has no need to change clothes. His many expressions magically activate the attitudes and styles of the partygoers in a wink of an eye. He even plays simultaneously the voices and expressions of the battling couple with a twist of his head and the swift change of voice. His talent is remarkable…”
Cape Cod Times

“Murder for Two…is a feat of dancing, singing, piano playing, and comedic prowess few actors could master. Sam Krivda and Matthew McGloin seem born for their roles in the hilarious and zany romp, so much that I was shocked to learn this is not only the first time each has been in this musical, but also the first time they worked together. Krivda plays Marcus, the rookie cop who wants to become a detective. A splendid comedian in his own right, he especially shines as the straight man to McGloin’s endless antics. McGloin plays 10 suspects, all of whom are being interrogated by Marcus, after well-known mystery writer Arthur Whitney is shot during a party at his Cape Cod mansion. Wearing oversized, round-rimmed glasses, McGloin portrays Mrs. Whitney with a wonderful Southern accent and dramatic flair…While Marcus systematically interviews each suspect, McGloin impressively transforms his costuming, voice, posture, and gait for each new character…During the many crazy antics, the two actors take turns providing accompaniment on the piano, either alone or in tandem, and sometimes (just for fun) with their eyes closed…WHAT’s Murder for Two is an extraordinary affair not to be missed…”
Cape Cod Chronicle

“…Kinosian and Blair’s musical [has] McGloin switching characters and sexes in a nanosecond, flawlessly and amusingly, with the flimsiest of costume accessories as a cue — a tutu, a hat, perchance a boa…When McGloin self-consciously bemoans the spectacle of ‘the slow, painful death of the American theater,’ it’s a little like a late night talk show host getting the biggest laughs by making fun of the jokes that bombed…What sets Murder for Two in motion is author Whitney arriving at his own surprise party, only to be shot in the head…Everyone else at the party, embodied by McGloin, seems unconcerned or even pleased that Whitney is dead. His Southern belle of a wife, Dahlia, is a frustrated variety act, and just wants a chance to perform. There’s Dr. Griff, who seems to be the shrink of everyone present…Utterly familiar and a holy hoot is Barrette Lewis, a totally self-involved prima ballerina. Whitney’s niece, Steph, falls for Krivda’s investigator, and Murray and Barb Flandon are neighbors who constantly bicker with one another. Timmy, Yonkers and Skid are boys in a choir, and Henry Vivaldi is a late-arriving fireman. McGloin plays them all with just the right amount of oomph: he soaks the female roles for every ounce of drag comedy and mines the three impish choirboys for snarky laughs. He never gets carried away, however, and the temptation must have been great…McGloin scores whizbang laughs right off the bat…”
Wicked Local/Provincetown Banner

“…it’s a wacky, playful, wondrous romp through the staid drawing-room murder genre by two piano-playing actors whose on-stage chemistry is perfect and whose talents appear boundless…all the guests are played by the same person: Matthew McGloin, in a delightfully funny tour de force of caricatured characterizations…Both actors are masterful, though McGloin obviously receives the most applause as he seamlessly whizzes from one character to the next, giving each persona immediately identifiable traits using nothing but his body, voice, and one or two props. Krivda, as the ‘straight man’ in the piece, doesn’t have the same built-in comedic opportunities but holds his own—no small feat—opposite the wacky shapeshifting McGloin…The energy level is definitely for the adrenaline-addicted. Director Sam Scalamoni keeps the pace—and more importantly for comedy, the timing—pitch-perfect, an Agatha Christie drawing-room mystery on speed…”
PTownie

“…what this exceptionally funny musical murder mystery is really about is an absurd, energetic performance with two actors, Sam Krivda and Matthew McGloin portraying 13 characters in a campy sendup of the murder mystery genre.  To be fair, it is really McGloin who plays all of these characters, with Krivda the straight man for the mayhem and chaos that surrounds him.  But both actors also accompany themselves and each other on piano, and it is their perfect comic timing interacting with one another, under the direction of Sam Scalamoni, that lights up the evening…Sometimes we tend to underestimate the talent of comic actors, particularly when they are deliberately performing in over-the-top, absurd works.  Here, the incredible talents of McGloin and Krivda…and Gary Adler’s musical direction take us through a 90-minute madcap comedy with such a diverse range of characters…It’s ingenious, playful, and will have you laughing from start to finish.”
Provincetown Magazine

Photo by Michael and Suz Karchmer

AND SOME ADDITIONAL PRESS…

* BROADWAY WORLD’s press release for the show *
* ARTS WEEK Podcast Interview *