Shear Madness

Shear Madness is a silly-comedy mystery-whodunit play that is decent, but would be better after two beers (like watching Medium, Charmed, or any other show currently running on the WB). It's full of one-liners and sharp-tongued jabs that make the audience hoot and holler like spectators in the Jerry Springer Show.

And, like Springer, there are the usual "suspects" on stage: overly flamboyant gay man sporting pink and personifying every stereotype known to homosexuality, the tough ignorant cop who can't add, read, write, or avoid doughnut jokes, the slutty big-breasted loud-mouthed chubby lady with a thick New York accent, and the pristine anorexically-thin aristocrat bitch who is offended by profanity and anything fun.

What really makes this play is the participation of the audience. The stage is surrounded on three sides (mostly by prepubescent teens who are wearing a tie for the first time and giggle at the word "it") and halfway through the performance the house lights come on and the actors invite audience to piece together the series of events that led up to the murder.

It's not an evening of magic, but for 28 bucks you can sit back, howl a bit (Jerry! Jerry!), laugh at a gay man making eyes at a cop, wonder if that New York gal has any serious back injuries, and wonder why the hell you never went to acting school.

And the ending? I'll only say this: Be careful what you wish for.