Will the Madness ever end? Probably not, if it's the Boston production of Shear Madness, turning 20 years old Jan. 31, 2000. The longevous hit holds the United States record for the longest-running non-musical play in American theatre history.
That means a lot of notable actors -- and even more props -- have passed through Boston's Charles Playhouse in all those years. Courtesy of Balsom & Associates, here's a complete list of thespians who have spent time in the barber chairs of the Shear Madness Hair Salon: Martin R. Anderson, Bob Arnold, David Berti, Linda Bisesti, Jon Blackstone, David Brezmak, David Cantanzaro, Nancy Carroll, Mark Cartier, Ken Cheeseman, Paula Langton, Bette Cloud, Ellen Colton, Mary Ann Conk, Grace Costa, Deb Doetzer, Richard Donnelly, Alice Duffy, Paul Dunn, Rebecca Fasanello, Michael Fennimore, John Fiore, Elissa Forsythe, Kippy Goldfarb, Betty Johnson Gray, Brian Howe, Jeremiah Kissel, Mary Klug, Peter Kovner, Chloe Leamon, Will LeBow, Karen MacDonald, Alison Martin, Belle McDonald, Richard McElvain, Cheryl McMahon, Eric Menyunk, Mitchell Mullen, Sarah Newhouse, Paul O'Brien, Celeste Oliva, Thomas Ouellette, Kevin Pariseau, Phillip Patrone, Ed Peed, Robert Pemberton, Chandra Pieragostini, Michael Poisson, Marina Re, Ted Reinstein, Scott Richards, M. Lynda Robinson, Christine Romeo, Wren Ross, Eddie Rutkowski, Anita Sangiolo, John Savioa, Patrick Shea, Sandra Shipley, Jackie Sibley, Peter Siragusa, Joe Smith, Richard Snee, Paula Plum, Ingrid Sonnichsen, Donna Sorbello, Kathy St. George, Chris Tarjan, Robin Thompson, Bruce Ward, Nat Warren-White, Bates Wilder, Joe Wilkins and Jay Brian Winnick.
As for the props, 20 years equals:
15,600 Tic Tacs
8,560 Canisters of shaving cream
7,000 Ounces of shampoo & conditioner
1,040 Bottles of red nail polish
940 Emery boards
860 Cans of hair spray
160 Bottles of stage blood
100 Hair brushes
60 Blow dryers
10 Barber chairs
The 20th anniversary show marks performance number 8,385 for the Boston company. Paul Portner's farce, based on a serious German whodunit, sets a murder in the Shear Madness Hair Styling Salon and has the audience vote nightly on who is guilty and who isn't. Limited tickets to the anniversary show are available for $34 by calling the box office at (617) 426-5225. The Charles Playhouse is located at 74 Warrenton Street.
-- By Christine Ehren
