“Curtains,” a comedy musical whodunnit, will be staged by Aurora Central Catholic High School’s drama department
Performances will be at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 27-28 and at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 29, at the school, 1255 N. Edgelawn Drive in Aurora. General admission is $10; reserved seats are $15.
Directing is Philip A. Nohl, ACC drama-choir director.
It’s a show-within-a-show, blending backstage drama with mystery. When a notoriously untalented actress is murdered on opening night in Boston, the entire cast and crew are suspects.
Detective Frank Cioffi must solve the crime while saving the show and dealing with theatrical egos.
Known as a comedy thriller, it parody’s 1950s whodunnit tropes with music by Kander and Ebb (creators of Chicago and Cabaret) and a book by Rupert Holmes. The cast includes the hard-edged producer, the songwriting team, an egomaniacal British director and a romantic lead.
“Curtains” was a Tony Award-winning musical. A film adaptation was released in 2020.
Other “curtain” mysteries include the 1933 film “Curtain at Eight” and Agatha Christie’s “Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case.”
—Al Benson