Would Middleditch and Schwartz ever need to fight a murder rap? Maybe not in present day, but there’s STILL TIME for the spilling of blood! In the new comedy podcast series, YES AND MURDER, from NYC-based standup comedian, actress, writer, and deadpan comedy expert, Laura Merli, a “nice(ish) girl” named Brenda finds herself swept up in the world of ImpConn improv, only to find herself in a far larger world of “instant trouble.” She claims to be innocent of the string of murders that has occurred at the beloved improv theater, but she’ll have to take the audience back into time to mount a convincing defense.
The series features the voices of Merli, Alana Johnson (BET), Brett Johnson (TLC), Jerry Burgos (Story Pirates), Srilatha Rajamani (WGBH TV), Tristan Miller (Manic Impressive), Wendy Steiner (Weird Not Nice), Aarushi Agni (Overstep Comedy), J.W. Crump (Gas Station Horror), and Candi Clare (New York Comedy Club). The fun murder mystery poking podcast was (of course) written and recorded in quarantine, with the actors doing their thing in separate locations. The entirely fictional narrative caters to the improv nerd within, but is also thoroughly accessible to those not exactly in the improv know. To give you a tasty bite of what it’s store, you can have a listen to the first episode (below) in which we learn of Brenda’s true love of ImpConn, how she totally changed her life for the craft, and how she befriended the theater’s beloved (and very dead) Donnie Austin. Enjoy ImmConn Beginnings!
Music by Elijah Crocker (UCB Harold Night). Written by Laura Merli (Women in Comedy Festival).
Mentions: Sink your teeth into 6 episodes now available on Lisbsyn, Soundcloud, and Stitcher. Look for it on Apple podcasts very soon!