By Barrett Roberson.

The theatre department is performing a comedic show called The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 on October 27 at 7 pm and October 29 at 2 pm and 7 pm in the auditorium.

Every year, the theatre department performs a play in the fall, and this year is no different.

“The play is a comedy farce about a group of musical theater producers and actors who are coming together, ostensibly for an audition for a staged reading of a musical at a house of a producer, but really what they’re there for is to lure people back to a house to try and catch a murderer,” head director Kyle Martin said. “It’s funny, it’s silly and hilarity ensues. There’s a lot of physical comedy and goofy gags and stuff.”

While the show is on schedule with the shows of past years, this type hasn’t been seen by Abilene High audiences in years.

“I wanted to do a comedy farce,” Martin said. “We haven’t done a show like this since I’ve been here, but I like this kind of show. For the fall show, we typically do something that is a little bit off-kilter, a little bit different than what we would be able to do for a one-act play or obviously, our big musical. I just like to try to vary things up from year to year and not do the same types of things every year.”

With this show being distinct from past shows, it is important that it is well-liked by the cast.

“I love the show,” senior theatre president Samantha Connelly said. “I’ve never really done a comedic play, so it’s really fun finding different ways to act. I’ve never been able to do this before, but it’s really fun working with the cast and with Mr. Martin and finding out all those comedic things.”

The show’s genre is different from past shows, which changes the pacing of it as well.

“Oh, it’s super fun,” sophomore cast member Carrie Mercer said. “It’s like a show we’ve never done before. It’s very high energy, really fast-paced and it’s going to be really cool.”

With so much change, potential audience members might wonder why they should spend their time watching it.

“While it is important to invest in the arts, it’s also just a nice time,” junior Jackson Riley said. “It’s a very quick show, so you’re not going to be bored out of your mind. I think it’s just going to be a fun time for anybody to come see.”