In its first two seasons, Hulu ‘s “ Only Murders in the Building ” became one of television’s most beloved comedies. The chemistry between mystery-solving neighbors Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez yielded not only big laughs but suspense, poignancy, and sweet (if often thwarted) romance. For Season 3, a whole new element was introduced into the mix as “Only Murders in the Building” added another genre to its story and became, at times, a musical.
“My all time favorite project of the season was creating the look and scenery for the Broadway show from scratch,” production designer Patrick Howe told IndieWire, noting that the key was to tie not only the backstage areas to what was happening on stage but to connect the show-within-a-show to the larger narrative. “I chose to make all those spaces tie together and tie the whole season up nicely by the way we’re presenting a Broadway musical within a TV show.” “We were told at the very beginning of the season, ‘Heads up guys, we’re gonna produce a full musical,'” assistant costume designer Abby Geoghegan told IndieWire.
In Season 3, “Death Rattle,” a play Short’s character Oliver Putnam initially intended as a straight murder mystery, becomes “Death Rattle Dazzle,” a Broadway musical that is, in keeping with the series’ overall tone, simultaneously ridiculous and endearing. “We wanted to go for it and make it big and sparkly and a little over the top, but we wanted to find thi.