Information

Show Credits: Book by David Shaw
Music by Albert Hague
Book by Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Book by Sidney Sheldon

Description: The enchanting story of Essie Whimple, a rather plain girl with a hyperactive imagination, provides the basis for a rare murder mystery musical and an impressive star turn for a captivating “triple-threat” performer.

When a young actress has been murdered in early 1900's London, the enterprising Simpson Sisters' Waxworks installs a tableau of the grisly deed. The exhibit offends muscle-bound actor Tom Baxter, who considered the deceased actress to be like a kid sister – and with whom the Simpsons’ excitable niece Essie promptly falls in love. Determined to see Tom again, Essie pretends she's been attacked by the murderer, and so begins a romantic, fast-paced adventure involving cunning disguises, spine-tingling chases, startling visions, an ill-fated show at the Odeon Music Hall, and a cold-blooded killer on the loose… not to mention some great songs and high-spirited dancing!

Accolades/
Awards: Redhead won the Tonys for Best Musical, Authors of a musical, and Composer of a Musical

Insight from the experts Staging Tip: Sets: A theatre dressing room, outside and inside the Simpson Sisters' Waxworks museum, Essie's workshop, a street, the stage of the Odeon, backstage, Tom's apartment, the Green Dragon pub, a jail cell. Special Needs: Waxworks (can be done with people or mannequins), a dummy's head made to look like your Sir Charles, an optional black light effect. The sets don't have to be cumbersome or incredible. Use darkness to both create a mysterious effect and decrease the need for lavish sets. The newsboy need not be a child. You can use a woman from your ensemble. Your Waxworks can be either populated with mannequins or with real people playing mannequins and made up to look pasty. The perusal doesn't tell you what to do in the ballet, in which Essie dreams she's an incredible dancer. Use your imagination and have some fun with it. Here's an idea: the original production included a sequence where Essie became a strong-woman and lifted a man up with one hand (with the help of wires, of course).