April 2008
Any Number Can Die
April 2008
Theatre, All Ages
What happens when a lovely young heiress, her two handsome suitors, some wealthy socialites, spooky servants and two competitive super sleuths gather in an isolated mansion to hear the reading of a will? The answer is laughter in the hilarious play “Any Number Can Die”, a murder mystery spoof. “Any Number Can Die” written by Fred Carmichael is a take-off on the mystery plays of the late Twenties complete with sliding panels, robed figures, wills being read at midnight, etc. The idioms, costumes, hairdos, and make-up of the period add to the thrills and laughter. Four ingenious murders take place in an island mansion as a pair of elderly detectives set to work on their first case. The ever-popular storm, the unexpected guests, the cryptic poem, and the missing fortune all add to the intricate and inventive mystery off which the laughs bounce.
The playwright, Fred Carmichael is the author of over fifty plays, primarily comedies, farces, and mysteries. Some of his credits include Any Number Can Die, Done to Death, More than Meets the Eye, The Robin Hood Caper, The Three Million Dollar Lunch, Exit the Body and more. With his wife Patricia, Fred Carmichael owned and operated the Caravan Theatre at the Dorset Playhouse in Dorset, Vermont, for twenty-seven seasons from 1949 to 1975.
