Springfield writer and director Courtney Wick’s hilarious murder mystery, Nightmare at the Hot Mess Salon, which debuts Friday, is a sequel to her successful previous effort during the 2021-2022 Springfield Theatre Centre season. And like its predecessor, Nightmare at the Sweet Dreams Inn, which was set in 1997, the new play (set in 2003) promises to not only be full of laughs but also numerous references to the year. Even the characters represent a variety of the early 2000s tropes and stereotypes, according to Wick. The brand-new story revisits the main character from the first show, now renamed Paris Guilton and in witness protection, as Guilton operates a hair salon in the fictional town of Wanamingo, Minnesota. A snowstorm traps Guilton – played by Cory Blissett – and a cast of zany characters in the building. Hilarity and homicides ensue. “I think people will really enjoy this one,” said Wick, who added that she learned a lot from the first show. And she’s done her homework, too. The show will have more than 150 references to 2003 as well as period costumes and snippets of music. Visit hcfta.org for more details and ticket information.
Nightmare at the Hot Mess Salon
March 15-17 and 22-24, Fridays-Saturdays 7:30pm, Sundays 2pm
The Hoogland Center for the Arts, Peggy Ryder Theatre
420 S. Sixth St.
217-523-2787
hcfta.org.
This article appears in The end of an era.
