Monty, played by talented leading man Bryce Pinkham (the real villain of the short-lived Broadway show Ghost) has us rooting for him even though he is a serial killer. Pinkham works hard and sings extremely well and manages to hold his own opposite all of Mays’ characters.

Mays gets eight billing credits in the Playbill cast listing. I wonder if he gets eight times the pay.

Based upon the 1949 British black comedy film Kind Hearts and Coronets, the musical feels reminiscent of Drood, set in Victorian England. The stage design by Alexander Dodge is like an old-fashioned picture frame with the sumptuous, period costumes by Linda Cho.

Murder was never so much fun — unless you make your way uptown to the intimate New World Stages to see Murder for Two.

Murder for Two moved to the New World Stages after a sold-out run at Second Stage Uptown. The musical is delightful in its creativity and sparseness. There are no lavish costumes, big splashy ensemble numbers, or full orchestra. There are only two men and one piano onstage — that’s it. Brett Ryback plays Officer Marcus, who desperately wants to become a detective. When he’s sent to investigate a murder, he hopes that solving the case will be his big break. Jeff Blumenkrantz plays all the suspects, as well as a few other characters.

The two wear normal street clothes and there’s little stage design only two doors on either side of the stage, and that much-used piano. Yet in the hands of the talented performers, we see an array of characters in the lavish home of author Arthur Whitney, who is murdered at his own surprise birthday party.

Awaiting the arrival of the real detective, Ryback interviews the suspects, as Blumenkrantz goes in and out of character, sometimes even playing two or three characters having an argument. Blumenkrantz is funniest when he plays the female characters, a vengeful ballerina who had an affair with the dead man as well as Whitney’s niece Steffi. With the slightest gesture as he straightens the hair behind his ears (Blumenkrantz is balding) Steffi takes the stage. Ryback plays the straight man to his humorous colleague, and the two generally alternate playing the Steinway onstage, but sometimes played together.