Curtains (musical)
Character Original Broadway Cast Original UK Cast
Lieutenant Frank Cioffi David Hyde Pierce Jason Manford
Niki Harris Jill Paice Leah Barbara West
Carmen Bernstein Debra Monk Rebecca Lock
Georgia Hendricks Karen Ziemba Carley Stenson
Aaron Fox Jason Danieley Ore Oduba / Andy Coxon
Christopher Belling Edward Hibbert Samuel Holmes
Bobby Pepper Noah Racey Alan Burkitt
Bambi Bernét Megan Sikora Emma Caffrey
Oscar Shapiro Michael McCormick Martin Callaghan / Cory English
Johnny Harmon Michael X. Martin Minal Patel
Daryl Grady John Bolton Adam Rhys-Charles
Sidney Bernstein Ernie Sabella Mark Sangster
Jessica Cranshaw Patty Goble Nia Jermin
Detective O'Farrell Kevin Bernard Thomas Lee-Kid
Randy Jim Newman J.R. Ballantyne
Harv Matt Farnsworth Samuel John-Humphreys
Cast and characters
Curtains is a musical mystery comedy with a book by Rupert Holmes, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander, with additional lyrics by Kander and Holmes. Based on the original book and concept of the same name by Peter Stone, the musical is a send-up of backstage murder mystery plots, set in 1959 Boston, Massachusetts and follows the fallout when Jessica Cranshaw, the supremely untalented star of Robbin' Hood of the Old West is murdered during her opening night curtain call. It is up to Lt. Frank Cioffi, a police detective who moonlights as a musical theater fan to save the show, solve the case, and maybe even find love before the show reopens, without getting killed himself. Cioffi also dreams of being in musical theater. The show opened on Broadway to mixed reviews, though several critics praised the libretto and the character of Lieutenant Cioffi, who critic Ben Brantley called the best damn musical theatre character since Mama Rose in 'Gypsy', and the best role of David Hyde Pierce's career.