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gun he gave to
Carlotta. Realizing that she had just killed Harrison, Carlotta also committed suicide. When Margaret returned home to find the dead bodies, she hid Harrison's body behind the fireplace brickwork and, after disfiguring Carlotta's dead body to disguise its identity, sank it in Scotty's Pond. Knowing that Harrison's huge fortune would revert to his family in England upon his death, she quickly arranged for a former lover, Phillip Reynolds, to impersonate Harrison until she could transfer all of his accounts.
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novelist, although her patients are also suspect. One of her patients, Lionel McAuley, seeks fame as the "Baseball Bat Killer": he had previously killed his wife's lovers. During the course of his week-long investigation, more people are murdered (with a baseball bat), and Ascher finally learns the following:
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upbringing by a sexually abusive adoptive father rather than by the wealthy Brents. When
Margaret finds out that Carlotta was her daughter and that she will be arrested as an accessory to the murders of Mrs. Johaneston and McAuley, she tries to commit suicide, but Ascher has filled her gun with blanks.
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and
Margaret enter Mrs. Johaneston's apartment on the night of her murder. Believing that Margaret was falling in love with Ascher, the insanely jealous Reynolds, after beating McAuley to death, flees to England, leaving Margaret in the house with the dead body lying in her office as the police arrive.
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Ascher also finds, to everyone's surprise, that
Margaret was Carlotta's birth mother, that Carlotta had tracked down Margaret and become Harrison's lover. It is not clear whether her birth father was Harrison or Reynolds. Carlotta had hoped to work her way into the Brents' lives, angry at her English
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The play's leading lady, Catherine
Russell, has performed the role of Margaret Thorne Brent since the beginning of the play's run in 1987. She has missed only four performances (to attend her siblings' weddings). She has never taken a sick day or a vacation day. The subject of Russell's longevity has
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During Ascher's investigation, Reynolds kills Mrs. Johaneston, the cook, when she realizes that he is an imposter. Margaret's patient McAuley takes credit for the murders of
Harrison and Carlotta and then Mrs. Johaneston. Nevertheless, Reynolds also kills McAuley, because McAuley witnessed Phillip
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Margaret and her husband
Harrison had been rehearsing a nightmare, for some time, with her patient Carlotta Donovan involving Carlotta's pretending to shoot and kill a man. Six months ago, Harrison, during one of these role playing therapy sessions, committed suicide by putting real bullets in the
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One Sunday night, at the home of the wealthy Brents, psychiatrists living in a swanky
Connecticut community, a woman shoots a man. By the time handsome detective James Ascher arrives, the body is gone. Ascher suspects the wife, Margaret Thorne Brent, a smart and sharp-tongued psychiatrist and
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at the
Courtyard Playhouse on Grove Street, produced by the Actors Collective, a not-for-profit theater company whose artistic director was Warren Manzi. Commercial producer Armand Hyatt moved the show immediately after its four-week limited run to an
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A key clue to Ascher's finding
Harrison's body in the fireplace is a painting on the fireplace brickwork that Ascher realizes was altered when the bricks were replaced in the wrong order. Nevertheless, Ascher and Margaret seem to be falling in love.
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570:"The Public Extends Hiatus, MCC, Ars Nova, and MTC Cancel Remainder of 2019–2020 Seasons, and More—How NYC's Coronavirus Restrictions Impacts Off-Broadway Houses"
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309:. Russell holds the world record for the most performances as the same character in a play. The play had its 12,000th performance on July 16, 2016.
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100:. It tells the story of Margaret Thorne Brent, a Connecticut psychiatrist and potential cold-blooded killer who may have committed "the
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on Broadway, was the youngest American author ever to have a play optioned for Broadway. After producer
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645:"The Only Woman in New York Theatre Who Fixes the Boiler, Takes Your Ticket, and Then Hops Onstage"
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188:. It is directed by Jeffrey Hyatt. It played in several New York theaters during its early years:
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Philip Reynolds, posing as W. Harrison Brent, Margaret's husband, also a psychiatrist
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is the longest-running play in New York City history, with over 14,000 performances.
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suspended performances. Performances resumed on April 17, 2021 becoming the first
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David Breuer, host of a local cable television show (appears on videotape)
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The show settled into a long run at the Duffy Theater at 46th Street and
666:"Coffee and prayer: Actress shares secrets to nearly 30 sick-free years"
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402:"Warren Manzi, Author of New York's Longest-Running Play, Dies at 60"
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answer sheet is available at the end of the performance.
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production in New York City to reopen with approval from
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has played for more than 13,840 performances, starring
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in 1980, just after author Manzi graduated from the
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16:Longest-running play in New York City history
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664:James, Susan Donaldson (October 14, 2016).
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468:to Mark 12,000th Performance This Weekend"
96:is a 1987 murder mystery/thriller play by
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128:because of its long and storied history.
589:"Perfect Crime Will Reopen Off-Broadway"
236:. After that property was sold in 2005,
552:"Gary Busey to Make Off-Broadway Debut"
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327:Lionel McAuley, a patient of Margaret's
278:who has performed the role since 1987.
259:spent two weeks in the role of Lionel.
176:Since opening on April 18, 1987 at the
534:"Gary Busey on His Off-Broadway Debut"
359:Because of the complexity, a two-page
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154:wanted to change the play's title to
140:. At age 25, Manzi, then starring as
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73:Courtyard Playhouse, Grove Street,
787:Detective, mystery and crime plays
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685:Bruckner, D. J. R. (1987-07-01).
274:. The production again featured
725:from the original on 2016-10-12
643:Viagas, Robert (May 14, 2017).
767:Internet Off-Broadway Database
617:King, Darryn (19 April 2021).
587:Gans, Andrew (13 April 2021).
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400:Fox, Margalit (2016-02-15).
132:was originally optioned for
762:Perfect Crime
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687:"THEATER: 'PERFECT CRIME'"
244:located at the corner of
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568:Staff, Playbill (2020).
142:Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
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324:Inspector James Ascher
205:Theatre Four (now the
201:Harold Clurman Theater
51:Inspector James Ascher
721:. perfect-crime.com.
306:Entertainment Tonight
214:McGinn/Cazale Theater
49:Margaret Thorne Brent
807:Works about adoption
536:by Steven Zeitchik,
501:Official website of
252:, where it remains.
138:Yale School of Drama
439:Samuel French, Inc.
207:Julia Miles Theater
178:Courtyard Playhouse
792:Off-Broadway plays
691:The New York Times
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406:The New York Times
255:In November 2016,
242:The Theater Center
121:The New York Times
539:Los Angeles Times
282:Catherine Russell
276:Catherine Russell
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166:Greenwich Village
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782:1987 plays
776:Categories
729:2016-09-14
719:"Spoilers"
704:2022-06-30
419:2022-06-30
382:References
313:Characters
257:Gary Busey
114:Background
46:Characters
36:Written by
699:0362-4331
414:0362-4331
230:burlesque
723:Archived
650:Playbill
628:20 April
599:14 April
593:Playbill
574:Playbill
522:Playbill
367:See also
294:Playbill
226:Broadway
134:Broadway
765:at the
487:preview
196:Theater
173:venue.
147:Amadeus
124:critic
85:English
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290:People
671:Today
300:Today
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