Eric Larson’s fascinating best-seller The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America (2003) introduced many to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. For better or for worse, his pairing of the story of building the World’s Fair in Jackson Park and the exploits of serial killer H. H. Holmes in nearby Englewood has made an enduring connection between the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and murder. [For the record: no known murders occurred on the fairgrounds.]

A comedic twist on this pairing is coming in the form of a new musical opening on June 14, 2019, at the Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. With music, lyrics and book by Ben Asaykwee, White City Murder presents the “hilarious and terrifying tale of infamous murder at the 1893 World’s Fair.” Asaykwee’s 2017 play Triangle explored the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911.

White City Murder runs on Thursdays through Sundays from June 14 to July 7, 2019. The Phoenix Theatre is located at 705 N. Illinois St. in Indianapolis. For tickets and more information, visit www.phoenixtheatre.org or call the box office at 317-635-7529.