Theater Poster Designer Frank 'Fraver' Verlizzo Releases Broadway Mystery Novel

Frank “Fraver” Verlizzo, the theater poster designer whose imagery defined decades of Broadway hits, has released a new novel. Verlizzo, known for his poster designs for the original Broadway productions of Disney’s The Lion King, Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, and Sunday in the Park with George, Ira Levin’s Deathtrap, Stephen King’s Misery, and the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap in London's West End, is launching his Retro Broadway Mystery Series with “Scenery of the Crime” published by Camel Press.

"Scenery of the Crime” by Frank “Fraver” Verlizzo, the first in the Retro Broadway Mystery Series from Camel Press was released on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. It is available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and from fine booksellers everywhere. Purchase the book on Amazon here.

Verlizzo’s received the Drama Desk Special Award in 1987. A collection of his work: Fraver by Design—Five Decades of Theatre Poster Art from Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Beyond was published in 2018 by Schiffer Publishing, a testament to his remarkable career.

Now, Verlizzo is embarking on a new act, transitioning from visual storytelling to the written word, drawing inspiration from his extensive career in theatrical advertising. The Retro Broadway Mystery Series is the exciting result of this creative shift.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of Broadway in the mid-1970s, Verlizzo masterfully transforms the theatrical world he knows so well into a captivating “village” for his cozy mysteries. In “Scenery of the Crime,” the Broadway stage becomes a creative—and deadly—Playing Field for a killer with chutzpah and a fertile imagination.

In this series debut, theatrical ad execs Vic Senso and Bettie Balboa find themselves navigating the far-from-glamorous world of backstage Broadway when several bizarrely executed murders rock the community. Behind the beautiful scenery lurks a myriad of potentially life-threatening hazards, raising the question: has there ever been a stage-related “accident” that was actually a cover-up for murder?

“For most of my career, I’ve interpreted the ideas of authors, directors and other creative stage artists, into two-dimensional graphic images for theatrical advertising,” shares Mr. Verlizzo. “I’ve worked alongside many famous and colorful personalities and have enjoyed every minute. The writing process is similar in many ways—and yet, so different. In my second career as cozy mystery author, I have an opportunity to create my own little “village” populated by fictional characters I’ve come to hold dear. I hope they resonate with readers interested in a mystery story set in and around the Broadway theatre community of the late 1970s.”

Welcome to the Retro Broadway Mystery Series, where the drama is real, and the murders are diabolically staged.