Bruce Jordan talks the machinery of mirth and 'Murder for Two' at FST

Director Bruce Jordan is a funny guy. Even if you didn’t know him, one look at his face would tell you. The mischievous twinkle in his eye and a smile worthy of Ed Wynn. 

At Florida Studio Theatre, he’s unleashed his impish sensibilities in such comic hits as “Shear Madness,” Steve Martin’s “The Underpants,” “Perfect Wedding” and “Spamalot.” He’s now directing FST’s production of “Murder for Two.” Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair’s musical is a send-up of an Agatha Christie whodunit. It’s also a tour-de-force where two actors play a crowd of characters — and an upright piano as well. As comedy goes, it’s life in the fast lane. Fortunately, he slowed down enough to answer a few questions.

“Murder for Two” is a monster of a musical with a lot of moving parts. How did you approach a production that’s so complex?

First, I sought out actors who’d done the musical before. Kyle Branzel had worked with the original director on a national tour. Paul Helm had done the show before at Utah Shakespeare. They’d never acted together, but they knew what it takes to make it work.

So, they could basically hit the ground running.

Yes — and that’s exactly what they did! At the first rehearsal, they could play most of the songs without any sheet music. That freed me up to focus on comic timing and the different bits of business.

They have great comic chemistry on stage.

Yes, and they weren’t repeating what they’d done. Kyle was constantly transforming into different characters, where Paul mostly played the no-nonsense detective. To make it work, they couldn’t both be wacky and over-the-top. I felt that Paul had to function as the straight man. He had to be the Dean Martin to Kyle’s Jerry Lewis.

How did you overcome the technical challenges?

By never letting the technical aspect overwhelm the laughs. We deliberately kept the set and lights to a minimum. I kept everything as spare as possible. Not for budgetary reasons, I wanted to make it clear that these two actors were on their own, with no outside forces. The audience can see the laughs all come from them.

The comedy flows from pure talent, not props and gimmicks.

Exactly. On a technical level, the piano’s the only thing that wasn’t minimal. I fought for the ability to turn the piano. It’s the center of the piece. By putting it on a turntable, we made sure the audience could see our amazing actors are really playing it — and in every imaginable combination.

There’s no recorded music?

Everything’s live, except for Dahlia’s big disco number.

It’s a rapid-fire show, but it’s not anarchy. I always had a clear sense of what was happening. There’s a definite storyline.

Thank you. Staying grounded in the narrative was important. Comedy demands honesty and believability. I could’ve kept adding gags, but after awhile, that loses its effectiveness. As a director, you have to think in terms of the show as a whole. Every laugh you add affects every other laugh. Less is definitely more.

What’s your favorite original bit?

That’s definitely the scene where the actors fire at the ceiling and a rubber chicken comes falling down, complete with feathers. Ha! It’s the last thing the audience would expect in a shoot-em-up murder mystery. It always gets a big laugh.

The feathers really make it work.

Yes they do! We thought long and hard … Should we do 12 feathers? Twenty-four feathers? We finally went with 24. For some reason, more feathers equals more funny. In this case, more was more.

*Correction: The version of this story that appeared in print on 7/19 listed the incorrect theater in which "Murder for Two" is playing.