A Killer Party

A Killer Party: A Murder Mystery Musical is an innovative digital musical created by more than 50 Broadway professionals working together remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 90-minute production was filmed entirely from cast and crew members’ homes across the country, representing a new format for theatrical storytelling born from necessity but executed with creativity and craft.

The Concept

When theaters around the world went dark in March 2020, a team of Broadway artists asked: what if we could create something new, something designed specifically for this strange moment? The result was A Killer Party, a murder mystery musical that embraces the limitations of remote performance while delivering Broadway-caliber entertainment.

The story centers on Varthur McArthur, the artistic director of a struggling regional theater in Duluth, Minnesota. When he invites his cast and crew to a virtual reading of his new project—an immersive murder mystery dinner party—someone takes the concept a little too seriously. Varthur is killed, and Detective Case must use the tools of video conferencing to separate suspects, uncover motives, and solve the mystery.

An All-Star Broadway Cast

The production assembled an extraordinary ensemble of Broadway favorites, each performing from their own homes:

• Jeremy Jordan (Newsies, Supergirl) as himself
• Laura Osnes (Cinderella, Grease) as Vivika Orsonwelles
• Alex Newell (Glee, Once on This Island) as Shea Crescendo
• Carolee Carmello (three-time Tony nominee) as Justine Case
• Miguel Cervantes (Hamilton) as Clarke Staples
• Jarrod Spector (Jersey Boys, Beautiful) as George Murderer
• Jackie Burns (Broadway’s longest-running Elphaba in Wicked) as Joan McArthur
• Michael James Scott (Aladdin, The Book of Mormon) as Varthur McArthur
• Jessica Keenan Wynn (Heathers, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) as Detective Case
• Krystina Alabado (Mean Girls) as Lily Wright
• Drew Gehling (Waitress) as Cameron Mitchelljohn

Release and Impact

A Killer Party premiered as a nine-episode web series on Vimeo on August 5, 2020. Within weeks, it had been viewed in more than 70 countries, with over 100,000 streams of the Original Cast Album released by Broadway Records. Music Theatre International acquired the licensing rights, making the show available for schools, community theaters, and professional companies to perform virtually.

The production proved that theatrical storytelling could transcend physical limitations, offering a model for how the industry might continue creating during unprecedented circumstances while maintaining the collaborative spirit that defines Broadway.