Plays

A family-friendly comedy that takes place on Halloween night, complete with an amusingly ghoulish premise, two ghosts, a love interest, a mysterious body, snappy tunes, quirky and endearing characters, and above all, a lot of laughs!

It’s murder most funny as 20-somethings Prudence and Derek start Halloween by arriving late at the costume store— mostly because Derek hates anything to do with bodies, coffins, ghosts and all things ghoulish. Turns out, the store manager has a dead body he needs to offload, that he decides to stash in the local funeral home run by Derek’s somewhat kooky parents, Jeremy and Formalda Hyde. Enjoy hilarity, laughter, a touch of romance, a little bit of crazy and some surprising twists in this fresh new comedy about Halloween at the town’s spookiest (and haunted) funeral home.

Heartland Plays, Inc. published the Halloween comedy Scary, Scary Night in 2014 and Scary, Scary Night—the Musical in 2015.
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Casting Requirements:

5 Male, 4 Female
Plus 3 or more TRICK-OR-TREATERS (Children preferred, but could be simply off-stage voices)
Plus 3 or more FUNERAL ATTENDEES (Non-speaking parts, backs to the audience)
Plus (for musical version only) 4 or more DANCING CORPSES (not applicable for non-musical comedy)

NOTE: With double casting, both comedy and musical can be performed with only 6 actors (4M, 2F)

Performances and Awards:

Four songs from the musical were performed in October, 2012 by the New Musical Theatre of San Francisco
Four songs from the musical were performed by Opera and Beyond at their Halloween Howl in Denver in August, 2014
Musical selected as a finalist at the New York Venus/Adonis Festival/Competition in August, 2014
Musical selected as a semi-finalist in Caryl Crane Youth Theatre’s 2015 Ronald M. Ruble New Play Festival in March, 2015
Comedy received a staged reading by the East Bay Play Readers Group in October, 2014
Comedy selected as a finalist by the Shawnee Original Playwright Series, staged reading in March, 2015 (See reviews below)
Comedy selected as a semi-finalist in the annual Playwrights First contest in New York in March, 2015
Comedy selected as a winner by the Shawnee Original Playwright Series, full production in October, 2016
Comedy selected as a winner by the WILDsound Festival with full staged reading showcased online in September, 2015

Upcoming Performances

Oct 25-27, 2024, Scary, Scary Night – The Musical! at the SKITS Community Theater, Shell Knob, MO

Hear Excerpts of My Five Favorite Songs from the Musical:

♪ If You Want Spooky

♪ Our Favorite Ghosts

♪ If I Fall in Love

♪ A Small French Café

♪ You Think You’re So Clever

Audience Reviews of Staged Reading:

After being selected as a finalist by the Shawnee Original Playwright Series, Scary, Scary Night received a staged reading in March, 2015. Below are the audience reviews. As a result of these reviews and decision by the judges, Scary, Scary Night was declared a winner and a full production was scheduled for October 21-30, 2016. (Just before Halloween!)

“Very funny, great Halloween show! Looks like it has some great comedic possibilities. Also seems like a fun show to do.”
“This was delightful! Funny, fast moving.”
“Mrs. Higgenbottom’s obituary is hilarious”
“Cute! Light fun that would work as a perfect holiday fun.”
“It is very funny and easily holds attention. Each character has a unique personality.”
“Enjoyed the characters very much. Could picture the whole play on stage, would like to see it.”
“Good play for fall season!”
“Parts of it were really funny. I love Halloween plays. Well written. I love the parents and the conversation between the parents. Good writing.”
“Clever nods and in-jokes to old school horror and horror-comedy films.”
“Yes. Could be very atmospheric. Great props and set.”
“Very funny. Fast moving. Great characters and script. Perfect for the playhouse. Well written.”
“Good farce- could be very funny if played right.”
“Funny, suitable for Halloween. Both female characters were very enjoyable.”
“Good pace – irreverent- funny- funny characters and very over the top situations.”
“Funny. Nice back and forth dialogue. Good character development. Interesting setting for a comedy.”
“Funny and well written!”

WILDsound Festival Review:

“Scary Scary Night is a farcical comedy that takes place on Halloween night. Derek, the son of a pair of morticians, goes to a costume store with his girlfriend, Prudence. They rent costumes, and after they leave, we learn that the shop owner has a dead body in the back room—someone he has killed. He and his assistant scheme to get rid of the body be depositing it at a funeral home run by Derek’s parents, Jeremy and Formalda Hyde. Act II takes place there, where Jeremy and Formalda are preparing for Halloween. Hijinx, of course, ensue; eventually Albert and his assistant are tricked into surrendering by the resourceful Hydes.

This is a lot fo fun—family fun, sure, but plenty of har-har humor to keep the interest of parents as well as kids. It’s goofy, creepy, and perfect for holiday families looking for a night out. The humor is often very funny. The revisions to Mr. Higgenbottom’s obituary are a special favorite.”

Full Staged Reading by WILDsound Festival:

Play Download and Licensing

To read the comedy or musical version (minus the ending), please visit Heartland Plays, Inc. Licensing is also managed by Heartland Plays, Inc.