GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER

by Sondheim, Stephen & Furth, George

The esteemed and retired Dr. Conrad Bering has selected, out of countless applicants, several individuals for private as well as Group therapy. It seems this Pulitzer Prize- winning doctor might be writing another book and it further seems these patients might be his subjects. The Group consists of Martin Chisholm, an ambitious political consultant; Dossie Lustig, a sensual restaurant hostess; the snob socialite Pamela Prideaux; Vassili Laimorgos, a sly dealer in antiques and collectibles; the rich and arrogant real estate mogul Gregory Reed; a cop with a grudge, Dan Gerard; and Nam-Jun Vuong, a college instructor and resentful would-be administrator. On this particular evening the members of the Group gather as usual in Dr. Bering’s office only to discover that the doctor has been murdered. Who did it? And what do the appearances of a mysterious young man who killed a girl in Central Park have to do with what’s going on? Does the fact that the doctor is the last and only tenant in this otherwise empty, guarded security building confirm that one of them had to have done it? To call the police will subject them to reckless scandal, relentless investigation and turn them all into fodder for the hungry media, so a collective decision is made to try to solve the murder themselves. The play then is propelled by a series of twists and turns and red herrings, along with some hold-your-breath shocks, all culminating in an explosive surprise ending. Act One is a “whodunit” and by its end the audience knows the murderer. Act Two becomes a suspense play… will the characters figure it out? Will someone actually be “getting away with murder?”