Interview: Ian Lowe in MURDER FOR TWO at GSP

Murder for Two will be performed at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick from October 6th through October 25th. The show has book and music by Joe Kinosian and book and lyrics by Kellen Blair. Directed by Scott Schwartz, it stars Joe Kinosian and Ian Lowe.

Murder for Two is the madcap tale of Officer Marcus Moscowicz, a small town policeman with dreams of making it to detective. One fateful night, shots ring out at the surprise birthday party of Great American Novelist Arthur Whitney and the writer is killed...fatally. With the nearest detective an hour away, Marcus jumps at the chance to prove his sleuthing skills-with the help of his silent partner, Lou. But whodunit? Did Dahlia Whitney, Arthur's scene-stealing wife, give him a big finish? Is Barrette Lewis, the prima ballerina, the prime suspect? Did Dr. Griff, the overly-friendly psychiatrist, make a frenemy? Marcus has only a short amount of time to find the killer and make his name before the real detective arrives...and the ice cream melts! Broadwayworld.com had the opportunity to interview Ian Lowe who plays Marcus in Murder for Two.

Lowe is excited to be performing with the Murder for Two tour following engagements at The Old Globe, Arizona Theater Company and others. Off-Broadway: Murder for Two (New World Stages), Nikolai &The Others (Lincoln Center Theatre), The unCivil War (NYMF), Feste in 12th Night (Sonnet Rep). Regional Premieres of new musicals Fingers & Toes (Finger Lakes Musical Theater Festival), Heartbreaker starring Christine Andreas and The unCivil War (both at Adirondack Theater Festival); other plays and musicals at Capital Rep, Pittsburgh CLO, Riverside Theater, Charleston Stage, Dorset Theater Festival, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Ivoryton Playhouse and others. Readings and workshops include The York, Ensemble Studio Theater and the Manhattan Theater Club. Lowe is a 2014 Lotte Lenya Competition Semi-Finalist. He holds a BA from Yale University.

Tell us a little about your earliest interest in music and theater.

I come from a very musical and artistic family -- my mom had wanted to be an actress and she loved the musical theater so she took me to Broadway shows all the time. My dad too was a musician and a drummer, so I had a lot of exposure from an early age. I started learning classical piano too as a kid; but at the same time I was already hooked on musicals, so I collected vocal selections from all the shows I saw on Broadway and taught myself how to play that material.

What performers or performances have been inspirational in your career?

Seeing Meryl Streep play Mother Courage in Central Park was unforgettable. Also, as an actor-musician myself, I loved Once and Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.

Tell us a little about Murder for Two.

Murder for Two is definitely one of the most challenging and rewarding shows I've ever done. It's a feat of endurance since both actors are onstage for the full 90 minutes; it's a fast-paced, high-energy farce. And then at the same time, there's this complex piano component since both of us provide fully memorized accompaniment for the entire show. I've done a number of shows that have called for actors who play piano but Murder for Two is probably the most intense given the actor requirements and complexity of the show's musical demands. But that's also what makes doing the show so rewarding -- it's fun to be able to call upon your entire "bag of tricks" as a performer and also the material is so fun and funny, you can't help but have fun doing it!

What's in store for the future??

I've been doing the national tour of Murder for Two since we started last fall, and after George Street, Joe and I will open the tour's next engagement at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Later this year, I'll be heading to Houston Theater Under the Stars to do another actor-musician show called Striking 12.

To learn more about Ian Lowe, visit his web site at: www.theianlowe.com.

Five and three-play subscription packages are currently on sale, as are flexible admission passes and individual tickets. For tickets and information contact the George Street Playhouse Box Office, 732-246-7717, or visit www.GSPonline.org. George Street Playhouse is located at 9 Livingston Avenue in the center of New Brunswick's lively downtown with plenty of parking and dining options for every palate and pocketbook. When planning your visit, check out www.GSPonline.org for helpful parking tips and dining recommendations.

Photo Credit: Joe Kinosian and Ian Lowe by Joan Marcus

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