Skeletons in the closet and Christmas classics on the radio make Murder Girl a pitch-perfect bridge between holidays.
The play premiered in 2024 at Forward Theater in Madison and now makes its Milwaukee debut at the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre (MCT) under the keen direction of Brent Hazelton. In his director’s note, Hazelton spotlights MCT’s commitment to developing homegrown works: “As a locally focused theater company, MCT’s new plays celebrate the voices of Milwaukee and Wisconsin – our writers, our culture and our stories.”
Playwright Heidi Armbruster draws on her Wisconsin roots for a whodunit set in a Northwoods supper club, chock-full of Packers-Vikings rivalries, strong old fashioneds and a Friday night fish fry. It’s like solving an Agatha Christie murder-mystery over a coupla beers. In Milwaukee, shows with Wisconsin writers telling Wisconsin stories tend to pack ’em in. Murder Girl is no exception.
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This MCT production was 90% sold out before opening night, leading to a one-week extension through Dec. 7. With a plot that promises both comedy and suspense, it’s little surprise that Murder Girl was an early hit. People love a campy PG-13 murder-mystery. For me, it was the 90-minute runtime (no intermission) and casting that made this production a must-see. I’d seen four of the five performers in other shows over the years, and they’ve always been exceptional. I hypothesized that any material in these capable hands is sure to be outstanding – and Murder Girl proved me dead on.
The story follows a tight-knit crew of supper club employees. Are they more likely to kill each other, or kill for each other? No spoilers here. But the vibe of Murder Girl is a cozy dark comedy with a cast of quirky, laugh-out-loud characters with a heaping side of suspicion. At the center of it all are the supper club owners, twins LeeAnn (Bree Beelow) and Eric (Matt Bowdren) who inherited the place from their mother. Their relationship is fraught at best, and Beelow and Bowdren thrive in the tension.
In the supper club kitchen is Ted (Joe Lino), the withdrawn observer of the group. The likable Lino brings a gentleness to the role that left me wondering if this character is meant to be more brooding or foreboding. Lastly, there’s a pair of seasoned waitresses – Charlotte (Carrie Hitchcock) and Other Charlotte (Colleen Madden) – as the undeniable comic relief. Charlotte is the grouchy skeptic; Other Charlotte is the Jessica Fletcher wannabe in an ugly Christmas sweater. Together, Hitchcock and Madden are dynamite and a downright hoot.
All antics and a-ha moments take place in an impeccable set designed by Lisa Schlenker and built by Adam Hastings. Wood paneling and checkerboard flooring are layered with vinyl chairs and barstools, neon beer signs and a lived-in gallery wall complete with an “Employee of the Month” plaque. Like the play itself, the Up North set feels authentic, not forced.
A fair number of local productions like to throw in a cheesy Wisconsin element when they can (usually Packers merch, on occasion an actual cheesehead). I find that most material could do without the gimmicks, so I appreciate that the Wisconsin-isms in Murder Girl are woven into the fabric of the script, not shoehorned in.
Overall, Murder Girl is a fun, suspense-filled ride to take this holiday season, like a game of Clue set at Christmas. But it’s more than buried bones and blackmail. Murder Girl is about the things we do for the people we love.
