Tag Archives: funny whodunits

CROOKED HAND: GAME OF CUPS – COMICAL WHODUNIT

The year is 1939. After a solid year building a name for himself as a detective, Phil Lebowski comes across a piece of evidence that will lead him to “the one that got away.” Hot on the trail, Phil gets wrapped up in a job with his ex-friend on security detail of a priceless jewel. Suddenly, they are caught in a madcap situation full of gangsters, thieves, and murder! Can Phil find the killer, retrieve a giant ruby, and wrangle all the crazy suspects before he “sleeps with the fishes” in this comical whodunit.

Crooked Hand: Game of Cups is the sequel to Crooked Hand, also by American playwright Jeff Carlson.

Author: Jeff Carlson and Zach Triplett

Type: Two-act play

Genre: Comical whodunit, crime, film noir

Cast: 6M, 3F, 1N

Ages of the actors: Adult. No ages specified

Suitable for: All ages to watch and teens up to perform

Length: 100 minutes

Set: Detective’s office, conference hall, a radio show live from a prison which can be invisible or seen at the director’s discretion

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – cutting back and forth between the radio show and actual events happening live on stage

Read a Sample of the Script

Cost is $6.50 for this digital script. Just Click Shakespeare!!

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about Crooked Hand: Game of Cups

Copyright © January 2019 Jeff Carlson and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Other whodunits you may enjoy:

All in the past – murder mystery set in 1930’s Shanghai
Merriweather’s Murderous weekend – a murder weekend goes deadly wrong
Parlor City Noir – gritty film noir whodunit

Comedies, Crime, Plays in 2 acts

Killers with Benefits – funny crime script (or who is about to do it)

February 16, 2017 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

funny crime script

KILLERS WITH BENEFITS – FUNNY CRIME SCRIPT (OR – WHO IS ABOUT TO DO IT)

It’s a dark and stormy night, and the young, attractive, married Mandy is all alone at home (except for her security guard and live in maid, of course) sipping a long island iced tea when the announcement comes over the radio. A dangerous convict has escaped and is at large in the area. A moment later, the lights go out and somebody unknown takes her hostage. He’s armed, soaking wet and … well not quite as dangerous looking as you’d expect.

Featuring everything you’d expect from a funny crime script. A body in the bathtub! An escaped convict! A philandering husband! A cheating wife and her lover! A nefarious plot by more than one party to get rid of the other and by the end of the play, utter chaos.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

Emerge Productions, Tasmania, Australia – 2022
Diva LasVegas, AZ, USA – 2023
AUT Performing Arts, Auckland, New Zealand – 2023

Read about playwright Tony Broadwick. Other plays by Tony – Death’s no laughing matter.

Author: Tony Broadwick

Genre: Comedy, funny crime script

Type: Short two-act play

Length: Sixty minutes

Cast: Eleven: 4F, 7M

Ages of the actors: Adult

Suitable for: To view – all ages. To perform – adult but could be done by older teens

Set: Living room of an upper-middle class family. Furniture reminds one of IKEA –functional, minimalist, and characterless. Two watercolor paintings on the wall are an ostentatious attempt at emulating “The Water Lilies” – A failed attempt at best. Stage right, an over-sized, frosted glass door, is the main entrance door to the house. Three other doors upstage open into the kitchen, the master bedroom, and a guests’ bathroom. Two big windows, one close to the entry door reveals a fichus hedge in the distance, and the second window between two doors shows a street lamppost and a part of the hedge. Floor-length curtains hang on each side of the windows.

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – chaos at the end of the script

Read a Sample of the Script

Cost is $8.00 for this digital play script. Just Click Shakespeare!

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about Killers with benefits

Copyright © February 2017 Tony Broadwick and Off the Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Other crime scripts:

All in the past – period whodunit play
The Mysterious death of Christine Wilde
Why shoot your husband – ten minute drama scripts

Comedies, Crime, One act plays

Murder in the asylum – absurd whodunit script

October 13, 2016 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

absurd whodunit script

MURDER IN THE ASYLUM – ABSURD WHODUNIT SCRIPT

It’s another day at Saint Woden’s Asylum. Another day and another mysterious murder has occurred in this absurd whodunit script. The patients at the asylum are dying like flies and nobody has a clue as to who’s knocking them off. In fact, it’s driving Doctor Mario von Woden a little round the twist himself. Let me rephrase that – he’s just very, very, very stressed. He’s most stressed that even the simple task of dictating a memo for the police is a struggle. When a policeman arrives at the asylum and starts interviewing patients and staff, who then die in a number of weird and wonderful ways, Doctor von Woden’s suspicions are aroused….

The original version of Murder in the Asylum was presented Off-off Broadway in New York City at Stagelights II in
1971, with Ray Hagen, Penny Pettis, Fran Berzanski and Saul Fredricks and directed by Jim Carroll.

FURTHER PRODUCTION HISTORY

Spotlight Drama Group, Galashiels, United Kingdom – 2019

Read about playwright James Campbell. Other plays (Jumping the league – comedy about a priest who doesn’t want to be) by James.

Author: James Campbell

Type: One act play

Genre: Absurd whodunit script

Cast: 3M, 2F

Ages of the actors: Adult

Suitable for: All ages

Length: Twenty minutes

Set: The office of MARIO VAN WODEN, MD, Phd, Saint Woden’s Asylum. The office is furnished with baby furniture. A little white table and a little white chair and little red telephone on the little white table. The room is white, with two revolving doors, SL and SR.

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – being serious in the face of absurdity