Just in time for Halloween, some MSU students will be trapped in a mansion with an anonymous murderer.

But it’s not a haunted house. It’s a farce in the spirit of the board game “Clue.”

English senior Michael Scott Hunter directs the first undergraduate showcase of the year, “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940.” The play is at 8 tonight and Saturday night in the Arena Theatre in the Auditorium. It runs again at 2 p.m. Sunday.

The comedy follows a director, a producer, a lyricist and a host of actors and actresses as they audition for a wealthy potential backer.

“It’s somewhat of a spoof on the theatrical musicals and comedies of that time,” said theater senior Kelly Kaufman, the play’s assistant director.

With all the entertainers gathered at the mansion, it’s a perfect opportunity to catch the “stage door slasher,” who preys on entertainers.

But the participants aren’t aware that the Broadway audition is just a cover for solving the crime. The play travels through the ups and downs of their misadventure through the mansion, as lights go on and off and as people disappear.

“It’s a lot like ‘Clue’ because everybody’s a suspect,” Kaufman said.

Ken Delamaise, played by theater junior Shaun Meoak, is the hot-shot director who adds comedy to the play. Meoak plays a former Broadway director who has moved on to Hollywood.

Another character adding humor is the drunken lyricist Bernice, played by theater senior Caroline Sullivan.

“She’s there to entertain and (is) a character you can hold on to,” Sullivan said.

Because of the nature of the play, there are no leading roles. Each character is equally important. The play could be about any of the 10 cast members, but there are a lot of subplots, Meoak said.

Hunter, an accomplished actor, is no stranger to the director’s chair. He has directed four plays.

“It’s not a dark murder mystery; it’s very tongue in cheek,” he said. “It’s a funny play, more along the lines of Scooby-Doo.”

Tickets are $3 at the door.