About the Play:

Winner of the 2011 Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allen Poe Awards for Best Play!

The Psychic is a full-length comedy by Sam Bobrick. A down and out mystery writer, unable to pay his rent, hangs up a sign offering Psychic readings in his window. To his surprise, he blurts out to his first customer, an attractive young woman, that her husband is planning to kill her. Much to his alarm and confusion he soon finds himself embroiled in a messy situation straight from the pages of a murder mystery novel.

The Psychic follows the chaotic life of Adam Webster, a murder-mystery novelist whose career is tanking. He puts a sign in his apartment window, in desperation to make the rent: "Psychic Readings $25." His first customer is a lovely woman named Laura Benson, who wants advice on her failing marriage. When Adam issues a surprisingly genuine prediction that her husband is planning to murder her, a string of inquisitive characters soon darken his door, including Laura's larcenous husband, Roy, Roy's ditzy mistress Rita, a mobster named Johnny Bubbles, and ace homicide detective Norris Coslow. Is Adam actually psychic? In the surprising twists that follow, Adam soon finds himself entangled in string of bizarre and hilarious murders (of sorts) that your audience won't want to miss! The question on everybody's mind is… who did it? Was it the gun-bearing gangster, Johnny Bubbles, or the sexy mistress, Rita Malone?

The Psychic premiered in 2010 at the Falcon Theatre (now Garry Marshall Theatre) in Burbank, California. The play is regularly performed in regional, high school, college, and community theatre productions.

Cast: 2 female, 4 male

What people say:

"The play's clever, Pirandello-esque twists make for a pleasant divertissement... satisfyingly unpredictable." — Los Angeles Times

"Surprise plot twists, and all-around hilarity. It's one of the best original comedies I've seen." — StageSceneLA

"A delightful murder mystery adventure...many humorous, suspenseful, unexpected twists and turns, ...Bobrick shows his innate ability with this play's sharp wit and impeccable comedic timing... audiences...will savor the suspense and surprise that The Psychic delivers." — Tolucan Times

"The Psychic is a laugh-filled unexpectedly entertaining ride that gratifies copiously from moment to moment. A definite must see." — Broadway World

"Engaging, surprising, clever and funny." — Examiner

"There were few times when the audience wasn't in hysterics, and Bobrick's hilarious one-liners and snappy dialogue deserve all the credit." — Burbank Leader

About the Playwright:

Sam Bobrick (1932-2019) was an American author, playwright, television writer, and lyricist. He honed his craft writing for such iconic television comedy shows as The Andy Griffith Show, Bewitched, Get Smart, The Flintstones, and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. He is best known for creating the short-lived syndicated TV series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was resurrected by NBC as the long-running hit show Saved By The Bell, and for his numerous plays, many of which were co-authored with Ron Clark. He won three Writers Guild of America Awards for his television work and was nominated for an Emmy.