Bruce Jordan and Marilyn Abrams

“Shear Madness” is America’s longest running non-musical play. Longtime theatrical partners Marilyn Abrams and Bruce Jordan adapted this popular comedy whodunit from a serious German play called “Scherenshnitt,” first appearing in their version of “Shear Madness” in Lake George in 1978. Set in a hair salon and revolving around the off-stage murder of a concert pianist, the play enlists the audience to help solve the crime.

In 1980 “Shea Madness” opened at the Charles Playhouse in Boston, and is in the Guinness World Records as America’s long-run chap. The 1987 production that opened at the John F. Kennedy Center is the second longest running play, and the 1982 – 1999 Chicago production is third. Abrams and Jordan adapted, produced and starred in each of these productions.

“Shear Madness” has played in 38 different U.S. cities and 41 foreign cities. It has been translated into 15 languages, with over 50,000 performances worldwide.