I cast a male to play Helsa the entire show. One of my favorite theatre stories is that a teacher friend told me she had brought her 3rd grader to the show and when Helsa revealed himself as the twin brother, her child turned to her and said, "I thought there was something funny about that girl!"
I am not sure what you want to know about Helsa's body in the closet. It's been many years since I directed the show, but as I remember, the closet door opened and the actor was just standing there "dead" and fell to the floor. I probably had an opening in the closet backstage that allowed the actor to get into place unseen by the audience.
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Ann Hileman
Indiana Executive Board
Maconaquah High School
Bunker Hill, IN
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-09-2019 08:25
From: Chip Goff
Subject: Casting: Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
I've directed the show before and had a female play Helsa/Katerina and a male play Helsa/Dieter for the rest of the show. I'm directing it again, and I am curious how others have cast this before?
Did you
1) Cast different people in those roles as I did?
2) Used a male for Helsa from the start of the play?
If #2, how did you handle Helsa's body in the closet?
Thanks!
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Chip Goff
English and Theatre Instructor
Mobile AL
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