The comedy “Smell of the Kill” opens Jan. 20 for an eight-show run at the Butler Little Theatre, One Howard St.

Three talented women will exchange more than recipes at their dinner party in this witty Broadway hit by Michele Lowe. The show is under the direction of Stefan Lingenfelter.

The story unfolds when three malicious wives and their three miserable unloving husbands encounter a big chill in their relationships.

Nicky, Debra and Molly have endured once-a-month dinners for years while their unseen spouses play golf in the dining room. The ladies spill details of crumbling marriages and challenges their husbands have created for them.

It's anyone's guess what happens after the men mistakenly lock themselves in the basement meat locker. Will the ladies softer sides prevail or will they see this situation as a means to the end of their marriages and a trouble-free future?

Katie Moore of Franklin is playing the role of Debra.

“She's slightly uptight and desperately trying to maintain appearances and keep her family together. As a result, she can be very judgmental of others to hide her own perceived shortcomings,” Moore said.

The role was perfect timing for her busy life working with the Mars Home for the Youth and acting elsewhere. Moore most recently appeared as Cynthia in “Harps and Harmonicas” at the Comtra Theatre in Cranberry Township.

“I can relate to the idea of getting older and evaluating your life and wondering if it is where you expect it to be,” said Moore of her current stage role.

This is Moore's first time working with Lingenfelter, the show's director, and she said she is thrilled with the experience.

“He focuses so much on character development and has helped me tremendously to find nuances I would have missed otherwise,” she said.

The smart, sarcastic, working mom in the show, Nicky, is played by Terri Schultz of Center Township.

“She is a book editor and married to a man named Jay who is about to be indicted on embezzlement charges,” said Schultz. “She can't stand her husband and is angry that he has put her in this situation.”

Schultz is back to the BLT after a hiatus of several years having last appeared in “UTBU (Unhealthy to Be Unpleasant).”

“I auditioned because I had heard great things about the director, Stefan, and I loved the fact that Karen O'Donnell was producing the show,” Schultz said.

She also said she loves the play and the sassy characters that are fun to portray. “My character is an extension of myself. A lot of the feelings that Nicky has, I have had at one time or another. Honestly, what wife hasn't jokingly talked to her girlfriends about what life would be like without their husband,” she said.

The third wife in the show, Molly Gilroney, is being portraying by Michelina Pollini of Franklin Park, who also appeared in the last BLT show, “Christmas Belles.”

She works as the programming assistant at the Pittsburgh International Children's Theater and stage manager/teaching artist/marketing assistant for the Saltworks Theatre Company.

“Molly is almost Disney Princess-like. She's a girlie girl who loves all things adorable, from woodland creatures to cooing babies,” Pollini said.

“She hides a lot of heartache with her optimism, though. Molly is unexpectedly twisted and unwittingly funny.”

Pollini said she fell in love with the script during her initial read and determined she'd really like to be a part of it.

“Molly and I connect in a lot of detailed ways, like the fact Molly makes friends easily and is very outgoing,” she said, noting the character also has a lot of depth under her sweetness.

“The challenge of this show is forming a bond of seemingly 12-plus years with the other actresses though we've only known each other a few short weeks.”

“The Smell of the Kill,” concluded Schultz, “is a funny black comedy that explores the lives of three seemingly happily married women who must decide the fate of their miserable husbands and must decide the ultimate question: to murder or not to murder.”

<B>WHO: </B>Butler Little Theatre<B>WHAT:</B> “Smell of the Kill”<B>WHEN: </B>Jan. 20 to 28, curtain is at 8:15 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday<B>WHERE: </B>One Howard St.<B>TICKETS: </B>$10, available by calling 724-287-6781 between 7 and 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays<B>INFO: </B>www.bltgroup.org