Bloody Murder, by US playwright Ed Sala, is set in a 1920s country estate, where a group of murder mystery stock characters - such as the inebriated actor, the exotic Countess, and the elderly army major - meet for a weekend.
Eventually, they grow tired of the usual murder mystery conventions, and decide to rebel - resulting in chaos and "bodies everywhere".
"It's a very clever comedy," Mr Burnard said.
"And the characters are great - frightfully British."
Mr Burnard directs a cast of eight, from the ages of 17 to almost 70, some of whom play multiple roles.
The play also boasts an extravagant set, with the stage decked in the style of Downton Abbey or Boardwalk Empire.
"We've been doing a lot of modern plays at Harlequin, so we've had the actors in their street clothes, and very minimal sets - sometimes just a box and a chair," he said.
"This time, it's very lavish. We've got the ladies in ball gowns and the men in dinner suits, we've got red velvet curtains, pictures on the wall and fancy rugs on the floor.
"When the curtain comes up, it'll be like unwrapping a box of chocolates at Christmas."
Most of the elaborate backdrop is courtesy of Perry's Mart on Chapel St, a long-time supporter of Harlequin.
"They are fantastic. If we want anything for a play, we just come in and say, 'We'd like that, that and that'," said Mr Burnard.
"For me, staging and directing this whole play has been marvellous fun."
Bloody Murder opens on Friday September 20 and runs until September 28.
Tickets are available from dashtickets.co.nz, at $25 for adults and $15 for students.
More information is available at www.harlequin.org.nz
