LADYKILLER, a musical thriller, is inspired by noir fiction, notably Cornell Woolrich's "The Bride Wore Black." Staying true to its roots, the musical presents the dark, glamorous world of 1930s Manhattan, from glittering penthouses to seedy gin-mills. A beautiful femme fatale is seducing a series of men — men she’s never met — and then murdering them in ingenious ways. One actor portrays all the victims: a playboy, a down-at-heels theatrical agent, a suburban husband, a bohemian artist and a pulp novelist. Each murder sequence is presented in its own particular musical and theatrical style as the murderess, chameleon-like, changes her appearance to fit each victim’s individual fantasy of female perfection.
A burned-out detective, assigned to her case, suddenly finds himself coming alive again as he becomes obsessed with unraveling the murderess’ mystery.
The piece builds to a shattering climax in which the detective assumes the role of the killer’s latest victim and the beautiful mystery woman reveals the secrets behind her trail of murder. But one final twist leaves both the mystery woman and the detective completely undone, yet inextricably bound together as the curtain falls.