‘Murder At the Orient Burlesque’ @ Rover Dramawerks
Show photos by Andie Pace; publicity shot by Carol M. Rice
—Jan Farrington
TALLULAH (arms wide, head thrown back): I played the Hippodrome!
CAST (with one voice; they know their line): Standing Room Only!
Ah, the world of burlesque, back in the day. Gals in scanties and guys with cigars. As one character says, it was “the lowest rung” of the show-biz ladder, a spot you might come to on the way down, not up, from something a bit more glamorous. And so, in Rover Dramawerks’ revival of the company’s 2011 hit Murder At the Orient Burlesque, the backstage comedy comes with an edge to it, whether the show folk are remembering the past or dreaming of a future with their names “up in lights.”
The odds are against them, but you can still feel the ambition and hope in the overcrowded backstage dressing room (shabby, colorful set design by Scott Rice). Like the song in Cabaret says, “Maybe this time….”
Written by Rover artistic director Carol M. Rice (who’s been known to review for Onstage NTX, if you hadn’t noticed), this murder-mystery is cleverly plotted, with enough laughs (even if more than a few are groaners) and enough puzzles to keep us intrigued. And the big cast, directed by Eddy Herring, comes together with lots of energy, some hard-boiled accents, and a good grasp of the many, many details of the plot.
At Christie’s Orient Burlesque, crusty manager Walt Michaels (Kenneth Fulenwider) is trying to sell a few tickets in the cash-poor days of the Great Depression. The theatre’s hit comedian Lou Costello has just walked out (he’s joining up with a guy named Bud something). In desperation, Walt hires a new headliner, the slinky and suspiciously named Czarina Katerina Anastasia Faberge Antoinette (Danielle Elliott).
Czarina is the fox among the chickens—ruffling feathers on every side. She insults the other performers, grabs for the best spots in the lineup, swipes costumes, and snuggles up to other people’s boyfriends. Who wants to murder her? Who doesn’t? What’s more, she seems (of course) to have a mysterious past that may involve one or two of the other folks with the show. Detective inspector Ira (“Red”) Flannegan (Jeff York) won’t have a clue…at first.
Rice has a nice gift for backstage banter and put-downs. In a series of short scenes, the tough-talking Vera (Heather York) performs and practices a comedy act with Buddy (Aidan Fenton), who keeps screwing up lines. She’s grimly determined they’ll become the next comedy sensation (remember, the theatre’s top comic just left), but Buddy’s busy chasing skirts. The short, rat-a-tat dialogues are heavy with wordplay and puns—Rice adapted them from old burlesque and vaudeville routines. You gotta give the actors a nod for landing most of these eye-rolling lines—great-grandpa’s sense of humor was different!
The longtime performers (they sing, they dance, they strip a bit, though we “barely” see any of that) like Tallulah and Melody (Glynda Welch and Laura Jennings) are territorial about the new “star”…stage manager Abe (Douglas Kent) jumps when he first sees Czarina…and ditzy (but is she, really?) Blondie (Hannah Burns), who’s been an “item” with Buddy, doesn’t like the sexy Russian making moves on her guy. Czarina even gets on the wrong side of even-tempered costumer Jane (Caera Flood), who doesn’t like her outfits being “dissed.”
The first act provides plenty of clues to what might happen, but the fun lies in watching the actual murder come together. The dressing room is dark, full of “what was that?” sounds from designer Robbi Holman—and amazingly crowded, with figures in black wafting around in the shadows created by lighting designer Kenneth Hall.
When the lights come up, you won’t be surprised to find that Czarina is thoroughly dead.
And the second act brings York’s calm and sharp-eyed detective Flannegan (complete with “sure-and-begorra” accent) on board to sort out the What, When and Why—the Who and Where are lying right in front of us. At this point, the link between this play and Agatha Christies Murder on the Orient Express is clear: everybody wanted a piece of the late and unlamented Czarina. Flannegan is unflappable—but it’s a lot to figure out, this whodunnit that’s turning into a theydunnit.
Will the twists, turns, and shockers ever stop?
Rice’s script is good fun, and so are the shamelessly out-there performances—always a treat. Kudos to stage manager Leigh Wyatt Moore, who must have had a time keeping props (by Vivian Reed) and costumed characters (outfits by Kristin M. Moore) in just the right spots. The show continues through August 16.
WHEN: July 31-August 16, 2025
WHERE: Cox Playhouse, 1517 H Avenue, Plano TX
WEB: roverdramawerks.com
