New York's Longest Running Play, PERFECT CRIME, To Play 9,500th Performance

By Byrne Harrison
Photo courtesy of John Capo Public Relations

A secluded mansion. A would-be murderess. The perfect crime.

Perfect Crime, the longest-running play in the history of New York theater, will play its 9,500th performance on Wednesday, July 14, 2010.

To put things into perspective, since Perfect Crime opened in 1987...

· 237 actors have been employed
· Leading lady Catherine Russell has spent over two years (16,500+ hours) onstage, and has only missed four performances since the show opened
· She has shot 89 different men and kissed 57 others
· 82,718 bullets have been fired onstage
· 4,951 prop coffee cakes (an important clue in the mystery’s plot) have been eaten

Initially opening as an Equity Showcase on April 18, 1987 for a four-week limited run at The Courtyard Playhouse, Perfect Crime has since become what New York Times critic Jason Zinoman called “an urban legend” thanks to its incredible staying power.

In addition to Russell, the cast of Perfect Crime includes John Hillner (Georges in the 2004 Broadway revival of La Cage Aux Folles; Broadway’s Mamma Mia!, Company, Crazy For You, Woman of the Year, They’re Playing Our Song, Little Me, Footloose, Zorba, Big: the musical); television veteran George McDaniel (Hill Street Blues, Little House on the Prairie, Dallas, Cagney & Lacey, Mama’s Family, Saved By The Bell, ER, The West Wing); Patrick Robustelli (Guardian Star); and Richard Shoberg, who played Tom Cudahy on ABC’s All My Children for 24 years. Perfect Crime is directed by Jeffrey Hyatt.

Tickets for Perfect Crime are available by calling the box office at (212) 921-7862 or Ticketmaster.com at (212) 307-4100. Student rush tickets ($26) are also available by calling or visiting the box office.

The Snapple Theater Center is located at 210 West 50th Street at Broadway.