The Backstory of "But Why Bump Off Barnaby": Will the Real Jack Sharkey Please Stand Up?

 

Note:  This piece originally appeared in Lakewood Theater's program for their production of Buty Why Bump Off Barnaby by Rick Abbot

BACKSTORY WITH BOBBY KENISTON

Greetings, friends! I would like to welcome you back to Lakewood Theater for the summer! I know I am not the first to do so--- I have no doubt that the wonderful box office staff, the indispensable volunteer ushers, and the tireless gang at the Lakewood Inn Restaurant have all beat me to it. Still, I would like to add my gratitude to the list and thank you for supporting theater here in central Maine as the world creeps back to sense of normalcy.

Nature often works in cycles, so it feels appropriate to open our 2021 season with last season's closing show, But Why Bump Off Barnaby?, a delightful mystery farce by Rick Abbot. If you have read myessays before, you know I often try to contact the authors of our plays for interviews. Sadly, this is not possible with Rick Abbot. He passed away in 1992. Further, he wasn't really Rick Abbot.

Don't worry, there's no mystery here. Rick Abbot was one of four pen names for prolific writer Jack Sharkey (the others were Monk Ferris, Mark Chandler, and Mike Johnson, who only wrote stage thrillers). Like many other prolific playwrights, Mr. Sharkey employed these pen names to avoid saturating the market, and because he wisely realized that many theaters don't like to produce multipletitles by the same author in a single season.

Born in Chicago in 1931, Jack Sharkey served in the army where he wrote and directed shows for theEnlisted Men's Club. In 1958, he moved to New York City to pursue writing, and, oh boy, did he pursue it! He wrote countless science fiction stories, novels, and chapbooks for children before deciding to solely write for the stage in 1975. And though it is estimated that he wrote 85 plays or more, it is very likely his name isn't nearly as recognizable to you as a playwright like Neil Simon or Beth Henley. This is because Sharkey was one of the playwrights who made a fine living, but never a “killing”. A “working class” playwright, Sharkey geared his plays toward the community theater and school markets, like so many others in his field (Tim Kelly, Pat Cook, and yours truly come to mind), making sure to write great parts for large casts to shine.

“His first play, Here Lies Jeremy Troy, was about two days from opening on Broadway on two occasions,but just didn't happen,” his widow Pat Sharkey told the L.A. Times in 1996. “He got comfortable with not trying for that anymore. He wrote what he would enjoy seeing, feeling that if he would enjoy it, other people would.”

Mr. Sharkey particularly enjoyed creating fast-paced, joke-filled shows that were easy to produce and made people laugh without offending them. It seems he couldn't resist going for the funny bone.

“I remember a few times, Jack would try writing a straight mystery,” Pat Sharkey said, “and after a few pages he'd decide to turn it into a comedy mystery, after all.”

And here, nearly 30 years after his death, Lakewood Theater carries on his legacy of laughter by bringing back the crowd pleasing But Why Bump Off Barnaby?, a quintessential comedy mystery. It is our hope it keeps you guessing--- and chuckling--- until the very end.

Thank you so much for joining us on our journey for 2021! Full steam ahead!

If you are interested in learning more about the play, or producing it, follow this link to Concord Theatricals:

'But Why Bump Off Barnaby?' | Concord Theatricals