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Shear Madness is the longest-running nonmusical play in the world,[1] owned and created by Marilyn Abrams and Bruce Jordan. Shear Madness is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running play in American theater history. [2][3]
[edit] Creation and Plot
Marilyn Abrams and Bruce Jordan acquired rights for a murder mystery originally titled "Scherenschnitt," written by Swiss playwright Paul Portner, and made it into "Shear Madness." The play is set in a unisex hair salon in the city in which it plays. The landlady Isabel Czerny who lives above the shop is murdered and the audience gets involved in the action by questioning the actors and attempting to solve the crime. The ending of the play is different every night as audience members hear clues, question the characters and solve the crime.[4]
[edit] Performance History
Shear Madness opened in Boston in January 1980. The Boston production is the longest-running play in the world, and the productions in Chicago and Washington D.C. are the second- and third-longest running plays ever, respectively.[1]
[edit] Performance Locations
[edit] References
[edit] External Sources
