A PLAYSCRIPTS TITLE

Totally Murder!

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  5w, 2m, 16 any gender (adult)

It’s the 1980s, and the food court at the Valley View Mall is filled with the usual suspects...for a totally tubular murder mystery!

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    5w, 2m, 16 any gender (adult)
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Mystery/Thriller
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14-18)

Details

Summary

It’s the 1980s, and the food court at the Valley View Mall is bustling with all the usual suspects…the majorly glam rich kids with money to burn, the valley girls with their big hair and even bigger mouths, the health conscious aerobics instructor, the kinda scary punk rocker, the geek who’s in love with the quirky social outcast, the Madonna wannabe, the nosy mall walker and the trouble-making skater boy with the gnarly moves. And of course, there’s the people stuck wearing silly unforms as they dish out ice cream, hot dogs and all manner of greasy foods. But when the automatic doors to the food court stop working and the owner of the new pizza restaurant, Sarrano’s, falls down dead, things get totally heinous! It’s up to an enthusiastic mall security guard to figure out who’s guilty before the killer wigs out and claims another victim!

MARV/MARGE – Security guard and amateur detective; mid-thirties, any gender
KEN/KIM MONTGOMERY – Owner of the soon to be opened Sarrano’s Italian Pizzeria; mid-forties, any gender 
TAMMY/TIM – Montgomery’s right hand/lackey, willing to do just about anything; late twenties, any gender
NICKY VALENTI – Former owner of Nicky’s Pizza Pie; mid-Fifties; any gender
MICHELLE/MIKE – Shy employee of Hot Dogs on Sticks looking to break out of their shell; teen, any gender
HEATHER/HUNTER – Employee of 32 Flavors Ice Cream who has had way too much sugar today; teen, any gender
DANIELLE, TRISH, LISA – Valley girls who like, totally live at the mall; teen/young adult, female
COREY – Skater who loves to mess with authority figures; teen/young adult, probably male but could be either
BUCKY – Awkward guy who has a crush on the quirky girl at school; teen, male
DIDI – Quirky girl at school who “doesn’t define herself by Society’s standards”; teen, female
GILBERT/GERTRUDE – Super nerdy teen; male or female
BLAIR MONTGOMERY – Wealthy daughter/son of Ken/Kim Montgomery 
VERONICA/VICTOR  – Blair’s rich friend; teen, any gender
WHITNEY/WADE – Aerobics instructor on a health kick; adult, any gender
VIPER – Anti-establishment punk rocker; young adult, any gender
STACY – Madonna-loving material girl; young adult, female
BRIAN/BRIANNA – Wannabe director and movie buff with a new camcorder; young adult, any gender
OFFICERS(2+) – Police officers; adult, any gender
SHOPPERS – Additional characters; see Author’s Note on Casting

Feel free to change gender as needed and use the provided alternate names and change pronouns. Additionally, as this play is set in a mall, there is a possibility of a much larger cast than is usually true for a murder mystery. That being said, there are several “SHOPPER” lines throughout the play. Those can be used for additional extra cast members, can be reassigned to any of the characters, assuming it makes sense for them to say the line, or they can be cut. Additionally, you can add additional Shoppers, Food Court Employees, etc, as you see fit. 

Feel free to change gender as needed and use the provided alternate names and change pronouns. Additionally, as this play is set in a mall, there is a possibility of a much larger cast than is usually true for a murder mystery. That being said, there are several “SHOPPER” lines throughout the play. Those can be used for additional extra cast members, can be reassigned to any of the characters, assuming it makes sense for them to say the line, or they can be cut. Additionally, you can add additional Shoppers, Food Court Employees, etc, as you see fit. 

  • Time Period 1980s
  • Setting

    The food court of a 1980s mall.

  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes, Period Costumes
  • Duration 105 Minutes

Media

Videos

  • An Interview with Tracy Wells – The Scene Podcast youtube thumbnail

    An Interview with Tracy Wells – The Scene Podcast

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Authors

Tracy Wells

Tracy Wells has loved seeing stories come to life on stage for as long as she can remember. In high school, she was able to tread the boards herself in a few starring roles in her drama department. Alas, like her character in A Chorus Line, Kristine, she couldn’t really sing, ...

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