Shear Madness NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (388)
See it if You enjoy modern, topical references, audience participation, and improv.
Don't see it if You aren't up to date with anything, or don't enjoy a spoof on a whodunit mystery.
See it if You enjoy mysteries & taking part in solving who done it. Enjoy silly fun.
Don't see it if Are looking for a serious theater experience.
See it if You love a laugh out loud comedy
Don't see it if You innately have no sense of humor and like to pull funny stuff apart.
See it if you enjoy silliness on stage.
Don't see it if you hate audience participation on any level.
See it if You are looking for a fun night with clever one-liners and audience participation. The actors have high energy. You will definitely laugh!
Don't see it if You want a serious show, or don't appreciate audience participation.
See it if You like comedies, audience participation, solving murder mysterys
Don't see it if You want to see something serious
See it if You enjoy interactive theater and talented comedic actors
Don't see it if You don't enjoy interactive theater or mysteries
See it if tou want a fun and entertaining night out. Hair salon set is hilarious. Nicely done and the cast is visibly enjoying themselves.
Don't see it if you don't like simple but yet funny shows with many laughs.
Critic Reviews (31)
"The show is a longtime favorite and an easy go-to for folks trying to figure out what to do while visiting DC. It's guaranteed fun and has been for decades. While I do hope they do some major updates to make up for changing attitudes, I hope to see it running 27 years from now."
Read more
"'Shear Madness' is still sharp, silly and totally engaging. Everything works in 'Shear Madness.' And by ‘everything works,’ I mean that you will laugh until you no longer think you have it in you. It works when the actors interact with each other and it really works when a murder takes place and the tension mounts among the suspects. And the entire experience is made whole when the detectives look to the audience to question the possible perpetrators."
Read more
"There is a tendency with shows that are running for a while for them to get ragged and run down. I am happy to report that the interactive murder mystery 'Shear Madness,' which is now in its 25th year, does not fall into this category. With a new set and venue, 'Shear Madness' with its talented cast and quick wit is a very enjoyable way to spend a night in the theatre."
Read more
"The audience seemed to love the breaking of character, but I felt it was one of the few moments that seemed less honest...I am fascinated by the enduring popularity of 'Shear Madness...' With a 27-year run at The Kennedy Center, 'Shear Madness' has ironed out even the little issues and last night offered a hilarious evening to a very appreciative audience."
Read more
"It may be best to regard 'Shear Madness' as the theatrical equivalent of an entry-level drug, and hope the adolescent who screeched at intermission that this was the 'best play I’ve ever seen!' will graduate someday to the comparative sophistication of 'The Fantasticks...' Meanwhile, let it be said that the current cast is not texting it in."
Read more
"'Shear Madness' manages to stay fresh even after all of these years through its use of current events and politics as fodder for jokes in the show, making the humor different each time. The use of audience participation to direct the investigation and eventually implicate the murderer gives the show numerous possible endings, so it’s certainly worth seeing more than once."
Read more
"I believe that these jokes wouldn’t work with tourists, because they probably don’t know the names of the neighborhoods, for example. Another merit of the play is the cast, who clearly knows each other very well, because the synchronization in the improvised part of the play is astonishing. To sum up, it’s a fun and entertaining way to spend two hours."
Read more