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A DRAMATISTS PLAY SERVICE TITLE
Full-Length Play, Comedy / 3w, 3m
Joe DiPietro
A good old-fashioned murder has occurred at the mansion of elderly Colonel Claythorne. With backstabbing, love and mother-knows-best advice complicating the investigation, it soon becomes clear that nothing is what it seems.
A murder. A mystery. A mother. It’s a dark and stormy night at the mansion of elderly Colonel Claythorne, and the pompous murder-mystery author Arthur Whittington is holding court with the Colonel’s family: his eldest daughter, Clarice, who is cold and glamorous; Clarice’s attractive fiancé, Jasper; Claythorne’s youngest daughter, Dotty, who is a big fan of Whittington’s; and Mrs. Shirley Peck, an unassuming but keenly observant visiting widow. When Whittington shares the news that the Colonel has modified his will to cut out one of his daughters – though which daughter won’t be revealed until the Colonel’s death – tempers flare. By the time Mrs. Peck’s son, (junior) Detective Paul Peck arrives at the house, there’s been a murder, and everyone is a suspect. With backstabbing, love and Mrs. Peck’s mother-knows-best advice complicating the investigation, it soon becomes clear that nothing – and no one – is what it seems.
An Old-Fashioned Family Murder premiered in Overland Park, Kansas at New Theatre & Restaurant in September 2024. The production featured Caitlin Kinnunen, Kevin Ligon, Jimmy Nicholas, Tony Roach, Marina Shay and Sally Struthers.
MRS. SHIRLEY PECK – Over fifty. Sweet and unassuming and relentlessly underestimated. DETECTIVE PAUL PECK – Thirties or forties. Shirley’s devoted son. An earnest yet rather unsuccessful detective. ARTHUR WHITTINGTON – Middle-aged. A world-renown writer of murder mysteries. Also, a proud snob. He speaks with a very affected English accent, though he’s probably from Missouri. CLARICE CLAYTHORNE – Twenties or early thirties. Dazzling and glamorous, sharp-witted and sly. She wouldn’t be out of place in a film noir. DOTTY CLAYTHORNE – Twenties or early thirties. Modest and soft-spoken, excited only by murder mysteries. Though young, she dresses like a Victorian widow. JASPER JAMISON – Twenties or early thirties. Clarice’s fiancé. Handsome and dim, he looks fantastic in a swimsuit.
The grand room of a grand mansion, somewhere in the rainy Northwest. Spring 1943.
“An uproarious new farce!” – Broadway World
“Double Tony-winning playwright Joe DiPietro has cleverly developed a recipe for an uproarious new farce. DiPietro pours every possible Film Noir detective cliché into a mixing bowl… The result is delicious. Voila!… [the play] is a hit.” – BroadwayWorld
“[DiPietro]’s wit, warmth, and clever storytelling are on full display.” – George Street Playhouse
An Old-Fashioned Family Murder – George Street Playhouse Trailer
An Old-Fashioned Family Murder – New Theatre & Restaurant Trailer
An Old-Fashioned Family Murder – Prop Design at George Street Playhouse