Speakeasy Dollhouse is a series of immersive plays based on

Cynthia von Buhler Cynthia von Buhler (; born Cynthia Carrozza, 1964) is an American artist, author, playwright, performer, and producer. Early life Cynthia von Buhler was born Cynthia Carrozza and raised in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the middle child in an ...

's investigations of mysterious deaths in site-specific, historic locations. Original funding for the project was obtained via

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

in 2011. The plays are currently produced by Russell Farhang and Cynthia von Buhler's production company, Smoosh & Smoosh Inc. ''The Bloody Beginning'' opened in New York City in 2011. ''The Brothers Booth'' ran in 2014. Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic opened in Spring 2015.

Play One: Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Bloody Beginning

Episode One, The Bloody Beginning, is based on von Buhler's investigation of the mysterious 1935 murder of her grandfather. The play was written and directed by von Buhler.

Synopsis

The play presents a series of vignettes that occur over the years 1925 to 1935 and were considered the playwright to be pivotal in the understanding of the climactic moment of Frank Spano's murder. The story extends beyond his death to encompass the hasty trial of Spano's confessed killer but leaves to the audience the final conclusions about why and by whom the murders were committed.Attendees are asked to go to the Speakeasy blog to speculate on the reasons behind Spano’s killing, and these answers then add evidence to the next production.

Immersive location

Speakeasy Dollhouse is staged in Meyer Lansky's former

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

hangout. Unlike plays presented in a traditional

proscenium A proscenium ( grc-gre, προσκήνιον, ) is the metaphorical vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor ...

, the site-specific set design invites the audience to walk freely throughout various rooms of the venue. Designed to mimic the dollhouse-scale sets depicted in the graphic novel, there is a speakeasy bar, private alleyway, club cum living room, bakery, coroner's office and Pre-war bedroom. The audience is encouraged to dress in

Roaring Twenties The Roaring Twenties, sometimes stylized as Roaring '20s, refers to the 1920s decade in music and fashion, as it happened in Western society and Western culture. It was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultural edge in the U ...

period attire. Upon arrival, each person receives a slip of paper assigning them a unique character to play and instructions to "ignore the advice your parents gave you as children, be nosy and talk to strangers." When not performing predefined scenes, the actors circulate throughout the space,

ad libbing In music and other performing arts, the phrase (; from Latin for 'at one's pleasure' or 'as you desire'), often shortened to "ad lib" (as an adjective or adverb) or "ad-lib" (as a verb or noun), refers to various forms of improvisation. The r ...

in character with everyone in attendance.

Dollhouse sets

In 1936, as a means to better explore these cases and train investigators of sudden or violent deaths to assess visual evidence,

Frances Glessner Lee Frances Glessner Lee (March 25, 1878 – January 27, 1962) was an American forensic scientist. She was influential in developing the science of forensics in the United States. To this end, she created the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained De ...

created the

Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death are a series of nineteen intricately designed dollhouse-style dioramas created by Frances Glessner Lee (1878–1962), a pioneer in forensic science. Glessner Lee used her inheritance to establish a depar ...

. These studies consisted of detailed, 1:12 scale dollhouse models that students could examine from every angle. Taking inspiration from the Nutshell Studies, von Buhler recreated the scenes from her grandfather's murder and the events leading up to it using her own handmade sets and dolls. Utilizing evidence gathered from autopsy reports, police records, court documents, and interviews in tandem with the dolls and sets, she has pieced together a variety of probable scenarios to explain the crime.

Future publications

The play is also being used as research for a

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

von Buhler is writing. The limited-edition book funded by

was an introduction to the story and explains how she first heard about her grandfather's mysterious death as young girl. In a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' interview, von Buhler stated that the follow-up book would be a new genre, "Pulp Non-Fiction".

Characters

*Frank Spano (Russell Farhang, Pasha Pelosie, E. James Ford): Italian-American immigrant who ran an ice delivery service and two Prohibition Era speakeasies in the Bronx. *Mary Spano (Dana MacDonald): Italian American immigrant and extremely pious wife of Frank Spano. Born "Maria Sforza" in Bari, Italy. *Dominick Spano (Rachel Boyadjis): The oldest son of Frank and Mary Spano. *Cousin Frankie Spano (E. James Ford): Employee of Spano Ice. *Anna Spano (Esther Westwood): Cousin Frankie's Jewish wife. *John Guerrieri (Silent James): Italian American immigrant who is a neighbor to Frank and Mary Spano and works as a barber. He is charged with Frank Spano's murder. *Lucrezia Guerrieri (Katelan V. Foisy): Wife of John Guerrieri and mother of four, implied to be having an affair with Frank Spano. * Dutch Schultz (Travis Moore, Josh Weinstein): Born Arthur Flegenheimer, Schultz is a notorious Jewish mobster whose speakeasies are a competitor to Frank Spano's. *Frances Flegenheimer (Maria Rusolo): Dutch Schultz's wife. *Lulu Rosenkrantz (Travis Moore): Dutch Shultz's bodyguard *Detective Thomas Crane (Justin Moore): Manhattan 17th Precinct detective assigned to handle the murder case. *Dr. Thomas A Gonzalez (Jeffrey Wengrofsky, Chris Fink, Paul Duncan,): Chief Medical Examiner in New York City at the time of Frank's murder. *Nurse Bessie Stitch (Heather Bunch, Sarah Moskowitz): Chief Medical Examiner's assistant. Former Gibson Girl. * Jimmy Hines (Charley Layton): Leader of Democratic Party political machine

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

. *Magistrate Hulon Capshaw (Scott Southard): New York City judge in charge of the grand jury trial after Frank Spano's murder, eventually dismissing the case without explanation. He is eventually tried on corruption charges and disbarred. *Dominick Grimaldi (Uncle Nino): Frank Spano's

undertaker A funeral director, also known as an undertaker (British English) or mortician (American English), is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as w ...

. *Lena Doino ( Kat Mon Dieu): Lucrezia Guerrieri's friend and neighbor. Lena's husband Anthony Doino worked for

Knickerbocker Ice Company The Knickerbocker Ice Company was an ice company based in New York State during the 19th century. Early history Knickerbocker Ice Company, an Ice trade company, was founded by John J. Felter, John G. Perry, and Edward Felter in 1831 on the eastern ...

, competitor of Spano Ice. *Bakery Shop Girl: Kate Black *Bakery Assistant: Ariel Wolf *Speakeasy Hostess and Host: Ali Luminescent, Jennifer Harder *Fortune Teller: Jordana Rollerhoops *Millie Nelba: Rachel LeWinter, Katie Kat *15-year-old Cynthia von Buhler: PJ Mead *Burlesque Performers: Vary by performance. Past performers have included

Veronica Varlow Veronica Varlow is a burlesque dancer, pin-up model, actress, producer, and performance artist based in Brooklyn, New York. She was the owner of the former internet boutique Danger Dame, which specialized in clothing inspired by burlesque, cabaret ...

, Lillet St. Sunday, Kat Mon Dieu, Delysia LaChatte, and Porcelain Dalya. *House Band: Henry Azelrod & The Gut Buckets as played by

Howard Fishman Howard Fishman is an American culture writer, singer, guitarist, bandleader, playwright, and composer from Brooklyn, New York. Since 2016, Fishman has been a contributing writer for ''The New Yorker''. He has also written for ''The Washington ...

and his band.

Special guests

Alison Wright, a starring actor in the 2013 TV series, ''

The Americans ''The Americans'' is an American historical drama, period spy fiction, spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg that aired on the FX (TV channel), FX television network for six seasons from January 30, 2013, to May 30, 2018. Weisberg ...

'', played Lena Doino at one show in 2014. The undertaker, Dominick Grimaldi, was played by

Edgar Oliver Edgar Oliver (born October 31, 1956) is an American stage and film actor, poet, performance artist and playwright. He is considered a "legend" of the downtown New York theater scene and is known for his distinctive accent and diction. Early life ...

from 2011 to 2013, a New York City playwright and poet who frequently appears on the television show '' Oddities''. Dominick Grimaldi was played by Uncle Nino, a New York City celebrity who frequently appeared on ''

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Po ...

'', a reality TV Series. For the June 2012 production,

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

appeared as Assistant Coroner and performed a duet of "

Makin' Whoopee "Makin' Whoopee" is a jazz/blues song, first popularized by Eddie Cantor in the 1928 musical ''Whoopee!''. Gus Kahn wrote the lyrics and Walter Donaldson composed the music for the song as well as for the entire musical. The title refers to celeb ...

" with

Amanda Palmer Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer (born April 30, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and performance artist who is the lead vocalist, pianist, and lyricist of the duo The Dresden Dolls. She performs as a solo artist and was also a ...

Television

Von Buhler, the coroner's office diorama, and the play's secret location were central to an episode of The Discovery Channel's reality television show Oddities. The episode titled ''A Gurney for Grandpa'' focuses on the television show's stars Mike Zohn and Evan Michelson as they locate an antique gurney for the play to match the miniature one von Buhler used in her crime scene diorama.

Film

Of Dolls and Murder ''Of Dolls and Murder'' is a documentary film about a collection of dollhouse crime scenes and society's collective fascination with death. It was released in April 2012. Subject matter In the 1930s and 1940s, heiress Frances Glessner Lee created ...

, directed by Susan Marks and narrated by John Waters, is a documentary about

's crime scene investigation dollhouse dioramas. Marks is currently working on an Of Dolls and Murder sequel about Speakeasy Dollhouse.

Music

On June 4, 2012, Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer sang a rendition of Makin' Whoopee during a performance. Songs by Amanda Palmer, Kim Boekbinder, and the Howard Fishman Quartet were featured with permission in the Speakeasy Dollhouse project launch video used during the Kickstarter campaign.

Play Two: Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Brothers Booth

The Brothers Booth is based on von Buhler's investigation of the murder of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

by John Wilkes Booth. Von Buhler sets out to prove that the murder occurred due to sibling rivalry between the brothers,

Edwin Booth Edwin Thomas Booth (November 13, 1833 – June 7, 1893) was an American actor who toured throughout the United States and the major capitals of Europe, performing Shakespearean plays. In 1869, he founded Booth's Theatre in New York. Some theatri ...

and John Wilkes Booth. The story was written by Cynthia von Buhler with additional scenes by Mat Smart. The play was directed by Wes Grantom. The play is held in Edwin Booth's former home and club,

The Players (New York City) The Players (often inaccurately called The Players Club) is a private social club founded in New York City by the noted 19th-century Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth. In 1888, Booth purchased an 1847 mansion at 16 Gramercy Park, reserved an u ...

Synopsis

At Edwin Booth's Gramercy Park statue unveiling a tattooed man brings an uninvited guest, the John Wilkes Booth mummy. Angry ghosts appear. Did John Wilkes Booth shoot Abraham Lincoln because of the outcome of the Civil War, or was the killer tortured by an intense sibling rivalry? Brothers Edwin and John Wilkes Booth both wanted to wear their famous father Junius Brutus Booth's thespian mantle. John Wilkes, the favorite son, was kept in school by his parents in the hopes that he'd chose a worthier professional than acting. Meanwhile, Edwin's childhood was spent being valet to his crazed, alcoholic genius of a father. This situation trained Edwin to become a talented, hard-working star who deeply understood the nuances of Shakespeare, while the younger brother grew into an impatient, fame-seeking dreamer.

Immersive location

The Brothers Booth is staged in

's former

Gramercy Park Gramercy ParkSometimes misspelled as Grammercy () is the name of both a small, fenced-in private park and the surrounding neighborhood that is referred to also as Gramercy, in the New York City borough of Manhattan in New York, United States. T ...

mansion,

. Unlike plays presented in a traditional[proscenium, the site-specific set design invites the audience to walk freely throughout various rooms of the venue. There is a speakeasy room, private alleyway, parlor, billiard room, seance room, stairway, bar, library,

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

's gambling room, The

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more ...

room, VIP room, and Edwin Booth's bedroom. The audience is encouraged to dress in

period attire. Upon arrival, each person receives a slip of paper assigning them a unique character to play.

Characters

(Eric Gravez): The ghost of the celebrated Shakespearean actor and brother of John Wilkes Booth. * John Wilkes Booth: (Ryan Wesen): The ghost of the murderer of

and brother of

. * Junius Brutus Booth: The ghost of the celebrated Shakespearean actor and father of

and John Wilkes Booth. *

John Drew Jr. John Drew Jr. (November 13, 1853 – July 9, 1927), commonly known as John Drew during his life, was an American stage actor noted for his roles in Shakespearean comedy, society drama, and light comedies. He was the eldest son of John Drew S ...

(Russell Farhang): The celebrated Shakespearean actor and president of

The Players Club ''The Players Club'' is a 1998 American comedy drama thriller film written and directed by Ice Cube in his feature film directorial debut. In addition to Ice Cube, the film stars Bernie Mac, Monica Calhoun, Jamie Foxx, John Amos, A. J. Johns ...

in 1919. *Guy Nichols (Chris Fink): The Players Club librarian in 1919 and a former Shakespearean actor. *

(E. James Ford): A celebrated painter. *Henry Jones (Dan Olsen): A tattooed man from the circus. *

(Scott Southard): The ghost of the celebrated author and one of the founders of The Players Club. *William Hope: A spiritualist and photographer. (Paul Duncan). *Edwina Booth Grossman: The daughter of

. *Opal Jones (Chrissy Bansham): A

spiritualist Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century The ''long nineteenth century'' i ...

and circus performer. *Annabelle Rose(Hannah Rose): A Southern taxi dancer. *Fanny Williams: A taxi dancer. *Jenny St. James: A taxi dancer. *Annie Jameston: An Irish taxi dancer. *Lorna Larue: A taxi dancer. *Clara Thomas: A taxi dancer. *Violet Jones (Katelan Foisy): A tarot reader. *Young

(Jonas Barranca): The young ghost of the celebrated Shakespearean actor and brother of John Wilkes Booth. *Young John Wilkes Booth(Skyler Gallun): The young ghost of the murderer of

and brother of

. *Tansy Tandori: The speakeasy hostess and burlesque dancer. *Silent James: A silent performer and artist. *Puppeteers (Erin Orr, Stacee Mandeville) *Grandpa Musseleman and His Syncopators: The speakeasy band.

Play Three: Speakeasy Dollhouse: Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic

Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic is based on von Buhler's investigation of the poisoning death of Olive Thomas, wife of Jack Pickford. Was her death an accident, a murder, or a suicide? The story was written and directed by Cynthia von Buhler. The associate director is Chris Fink and the Directorial Consultant is Alison Wright, a starring actor in

. Dance is choreographed by Delysia La Chatte. The play is held in The

Liberty Theater The Liberty Theatre is a former Broadway theater at 234 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1904, the theater was designed by Herts & Tallant and built for Klaw and Erlanger, the partnership ...

Synopsis

The Glorifier of the American Girl,

Florenz Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

, invites you to join his Follies for an evening of music, magic, mystery, mayhem, and spirits. Audience members pursue their interests across an expansive environment exploring the wonders and the dangers of the Golden Age of Broadway. The immersive play reimagines his 1920's extravaganza, The Midnight Frolic, with showgirls, burlesque, aerialists, song and dance. Audience members choose their corruption at

Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...

's Cabaret du Néant while a garish garcon apprises them with tales of guillotines and deadly bacteria. The audience sleuths the luxury suite at Hotel Ritz Paris where Jack Pickford ''allegedly'' tried to save his wife, Follies’ star Olive Thomas, after she drank poison.

Olive Thomas's ghost

Olive Thomas's ghost is said to haunt The

New Amsterdam Theater The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the New Amsterdam was built from ...

which is located next door to The

. According to theater personnel, her ghost appears and walks through the 41st street wall. The Liberty Theater is on the other side of the wall.

Immersive location

Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic is staged in The

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

. Unlike plays presented in a traditional proscenium, the site-specific set design invites the audience to walk freely throughout various rooms of the venue. There is a follies theater, Montmartre alleyway, The Cabaret of Nothingness, The Ritz Hotel in Paris, Ziegfeld's office, and Alberto Vargas' art reception. The audience is encouraged to dress in

period attire. Upon arrival, each person receives a slip of paper assigning them a unique character to play.

Bibliography

* * * * *

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

*Graphic nove
''Speakeasy Dollhouse, The Bloody Beginning''
*Pla
Speakeasy Dollhouse
*

'
website
Site-specific theatre Prohibition in the United States Kickstarter projects American graphic novels 2011 plays American plays Plays set in the 1920s Plays set in the 1930s Plays based on actual events