Chief Players present 4-actor comedic murder mystery

Steamboat Springs — Billed as an adult comedic murder mystery — with not much mystery of who done it and extra emphasis on the funny bone — the Chief Players present “It’s Only Murder” this weekend and next.

Four local actors portray the story of a mild-mannered, mildly uptight CPA, his naive young wife, their neighbor and a seedy, booze-guzzling private detective.

“It’s a love quadrangle,” director Chad McGown said. “A love parallelogram.”

There are multiple prison breaks and murders, noted assistant director Michael Staley.

“It’s a wild and hilarious ride, and sizzling good time,” Staley said.

“It’s definitely one of the funniest things I’ve been a part of,” said lead actor Kirk Aigner, who plays Jerome Teppel.

McGown, Staley and Aigner are also founding members of the Chief Players, which began 12 shows ago in 2013, when the group presented “Mouse Trap.”

“It’s Only Murder” also includes actors Brook Cinocco as Francine Teppel, Kristin Cronin as Lenore Franklin and Tori Nickels as Sid Decker.

“Kristin, we all know from stand-up; Kirk’s our veteran actor; Tori does melodrama and the (Super) Fun show and one acts, and Brook’s our newcomer. She is awesome,” McGown said.

McGown has directed several one-act plays in the past. This will be the first full production he’s directing.

“I picked an excellent cast, so there hasn’t been much for me to do,” McGown said. “They found their characters quickly and have only been improving.”

He noted working with a cast of such a small size has been wonderful.

“In a smaller cast, your role is bigger,” Aigner said. “Regardless of how many lines someone has, they definitely stand out more when there’s only four actors. Everything you do on stage is magnified.”

“It’s Only Murder” was written by Sam Bobrick, who is a musician, television writer and creator of “Saved by the Bell.” He quit television around his 60th birthday to concentrate on writing plays, and he now has more than 40 plays to his name.

“It’s Only Murder” falls on the same dates as Steamboat Springs High School’s performance of “Grease.” If someone buys a ticket at All That to “It’s Only Murder,” they will get a $5 discount on a “Grease” ticket, and vice versa.

Tickets must be purchased at at All That, 601 Lincoln Ave., to qualify for the discount.

“It will be two amazing weeks of live theater,” said Scott Parker, executive director of the Chief Theater.