'A Case For Murder' at La MaMa's First Floor Theatre

La MaMa Presents Robert Montgomery's A Case Of Murder, directed by Benno Haenel, at La MaMa's First Floor Theatre from the 5 - 22 May 2005

The musical transplants the classic 19th Century Russian tale to New York's East Village in the present day, with elements of NYPD Blue, Law & Order and The Shield thrown in. With words and music by Montgomery and directed by Benno Haenel, the body count begins May 5th at La MaMa's First Floor Theatre, located at 74A East 4th Street.

Veteran NYPD Detective Ray Porfiry thinks he's seen it all. But the bloody murder of an elderly woman and her daughter on Avenue D shakes him to his very core. Fast approaching mental burnout, Porfiry tries to shift through the numerous suspects, all the while barely holding his own psyche together.

Where Dostoevsky's work tells the story from the perspective of the killer, A Case Of Murder relates the tale from the point of view of the detective.

Mostly sung-through with a score that ranges from blues to gospel to the "boomer rock" sound of the 60s and 70s, A Case Of Murder reveals the seamy underbelly of a group of misfits, loners and outcasts, all doing whatever they can to survive.

The cast features Dean Goodman, Rich Hollman, Judy Jerome, Maggie Low, Brian McCormack, Brian W. Siebert, Nic Tyler and Rachel Valdat.
The production is an Equity Showcase.