A key to the success is the skill of the performer in the role of the lead detective who must bring the audience into the action without any off-putting gimmicks, and keep the evening moving at a fast and humorous pace. Of course, since the show has run for so many years, audiences have probably said just about everything that can be said, so there may not be many "clues" or "theories" from the audience the cast hasn’t heard before. The lead detective role is now in the extremely capable hands of Aaron Shields who has been in the companies of Shear Madness in Chicago, Detroit and San Francisco.

A cast of six is well stocked with what is usually described as "wacky characters." John McGivern does the gay hair stylist role to the hilt and gets most of the laughs in the early going. He and his colleagues seem to delight in attempts to break each other up while keeping the show moving at a fairly fast pace.

The show has run for more than twenty years in Boston where it originated. The Kennedy Center production has run for over fourteen years, making it the longest running play in Washington history. It is kept current with the addition of a great deal of topical humor and references to events of the day.