Edmund Burymore
Scholar. Director. Denial.
An Interactive Musical-Comedy Murder Mystery
McDeathor Nothing Much about Doo-Doo
Delilah Ladiva
Broadway royalty. Barely patient.
David Boney
Glam rocker. Tax write-off.
Harvey Brashman
Comic. Awaiting rim shot.
Allen Woodley
Stage manager. Authentic danger.
Edmund Burymore
Scholar. Director. Denial.
Delilah Ladiva
Broadway royalty. Barely patient.
David Boney
Glam rocker. Tax write-off.
Harvey Brashman
Comic. Awaiting rim shot.
Allen Woodley
Stage manager. Authentic danger.
Edmund: Why would he do such a thing? Allen: The kitchen was out of strudel.
The Case
Shakespeare’s first play has been lost for 400 years. Opening night explains why.
Edmund Burymore has discovered the theatrical event of a lifetime: William Shakespeare’s long-lost first play, Nothing Much About Doo-Doo. The Royal Crown Shakespeare Company is ready to restore it to the stage—with a former Broadway diva, a glam-rock tax write-off, a cruise-ship comic, and the last surviving members of a remarkably accident-prone cast.
Then the leading man turns up dead in his cheesecake.
The culprit may be Allen Woodley’s commitment to “authentic” props: real poisoned darts, a real asp, real swords, and real poison stored in an empty champagne bottle. Edmund presses on. The understudy steps in. The murders do, too.
As Shakespeare’s worst ideas collide with backstage vanity, grudges, musical numbers, and audience-assisted swordplay, the world premiere becomes a very public investigation.
The show must go on. The cast is becoming negotiable.
At a Glance
Interactive musical-comedy murder mystery
Approximately 70 minutes
4 men and 1 woman
A community-theatre stage on opening night
Coached roles, suspect questions, and Detective Cards
Three musical numbers with recorded accompaniment
Recorded cues and an alarming collection of hand props
Dinner theatres, fundraisers, and special events
The Royal Crown Shakespeare Company
Five survivors. One world premiere. Far too many authentic props.
Edmund Burymore
A respected Shakespeare historian and artistic director of the Royal Crown Shakespeare Company, determined to premiere the rediscovered play no matter how many cast members it costs him.
Delilah Ladiva
The aging queen of the Broadway musical, best known for playing Lizzie Borden in the hit musical Cuts. She suffers fools barely—and understudies even less.
David Boney
An androgynous former glam-rock star, newly returned from the Robert Downey Jr. recovery unit and treating the entire production as a tax write-off.
Harvey Brashman
A second-rate stand-up comic fresh from a cruise-ship gig, delighted by the career boost of his first real drama. Every entrance deserves a rim shot.
Allen Woodley
The stage manager and reluctant understudy whose insistence on authentic props turns a cursed production into a full-scale homicide investigation.
Inside the Performance
The cast performs the mystery. The audience keeps the catastrophe on rhythm.
A designated table swoons and cheers at every David Boney entrance.
A designated table gives the diva the reception she knows she deserves.
One guest answers every “Ha-cha!” with a toy-drum rim shot.
One brave accomplice throws Allen a box of aluminum foil mid-duel.
Guests receive a program, Detective Card, pen, and Character Fun Fact while the company mingles in character before the scripted action begins.
Four coached audience moments recur throughout the evening: David’s admirers swoon, Delilah’s loyalists applaud, Harvey’s drummer punctuates every “Ha-cha!”, and Allen’s foil-toss accomplice supplies armor during a sword fight.
After Act Two, the full room questions the suspects directly, records its theory on Detective Cards, and decides who turned an already dangerous premiere into murder.
The featured roles are coached comic encounters—not tests of improvisational skill. No advance preparation is required.
Recovered from the Royal Crown Prop Table
Six exhibits from a premiere that should have stayed lost.
01 / Literary Evidence
The Lost First Play
Never before imprinted. Attribution added with all the scholarly rigor available backstage.
02 / Backstage Evidence
Allen’s Authentic Props
Six poisoned darts, two swords, one opened champagne bottle, and an asp with excellent union representation.
03 / Catering Evidence
Opening-Night Cheesecake
The leading man wanted strudel. The kitchen had other plans.
04 / Dressing-Room Evidence
Delilah’s Dressing Table
Lipstick, arsenic, and the souvenir program from Cuts. A perfectly ordinary leading lady’s kit.
05 / Comedy Evidence
The Rim-Shot Station
Harvey brought his own punch lines. The audience supplies percussion and quality control.
06 / Audience Evidence
The Audience Playbook
Groupies swoon. Fans applaud. Foil flies. Everybody solves the murder.
From the Program Notes
Four centuries late—and still not ready.
In 1584, the Globe would not permit Shakespeare’s first murder mystery on its main stage. He begged for a room to premiere it, was offered the dining room, and promptly invented murder-mystery dinner theatre.
He spent the next thirty years trying to redeem himself.
Available for Production
Rediscover the Bard. Recruit the audience. Hide the champagne.
McDeath or Nothing Much about Doo-Doo is designed for five principal performers, several coached audience volunteers, full-room suspect questioning, Detective Cards, three musical numbers with recorded accompaniment, and a portable collection of documents, costumes, weapons, catering supplies, and distinctly unsafe wildlife.
It is especially suited to dinner and community theatres, restaurants, fundraisers, performing-arts and civic organizations, and corporate or private events.
Production Information & Script
Bring McDeath or Nothing Much about Doo-Doo to your audience.
If you’re considering McDeath or Nothing Much about Doo-Doo for your season, download a sample here, visit New Play Exchange for the complete script and production information, or request a reading copy directly.
The sample downloads directly from this site—no registration required. The complete script is available to NPX subscribers, or you may request a reading copy directly.
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