“Murderers” — Jeffrey Hatcher’s wickedly clever play about three killers in a Florida retirement community — is a fine way to kick off a new era at Mamaroneck’s intimate Emelin Theatre.

First, it’s a new work, not the tried-and-true works which had been the bulk of the theater’s schedule in recent years.

Second, it shows off new artistic director Michael Bush’s insider status in the theater community. Bush, who directed the show, which runs through Feb. 10, clearly can parlay his considerable Rolodex into a first-rate production.

Third, it’s just a really fun night out.

“Murderers” runs just under two hours with no intermission, which would seem an eternity if Hatcher’s crackling writing didn’t fill the stage with strange yet recognizable characters.

It is told in three monologues – “The Man Who Married His Mother-in-Law,” “Margaret Faydle Comes to Town,” and “Match Wits with Minka Lupino” – delivered at the Emelin by Brent Langdon, Jennifer Harmon and Robin Skye.

The actors share the stage only for the play’s first 12 lines – and at the curtain call. Otherwise, they’re on their own as they recount the events that unfolded at Florida’s Riddle Key Luxury Senior Retirement Living Center and Golf Course: How they became murderers.

Forty-minute monologues might not sound like the stuff dreams are made of, but the play seems to fly by without prompting a glance at your watch. By the time you look up, you’ll have spent two hours with dozens of interesting people brought to life by talented actors.

Bush was involved in the development of “Murderers” with playwright Hatcher and directed it in Philadelphia in 2006. This production started at Pittsburgh’s City Theatre before transferring to the Emelin.

Local audiences might recall that Briarcliff’s Hudson Stage Company mounted an outstanding production of “Murderers” in the fall. That cast – Matthew Arkin, Lucy Martin and Andrea Gallo, under the direction of Dan Foster – delivered on every nuance of Hatcher’s script in performances that seemed effortless and comfortable.

That is less the case at the Emelin – at times, the acting is evident – but the production is still strong.

First up is Brent Langdon as Gerald Halverson, in smoking jacket and slippers (and later, tuxedo), who delivers his monologue with a full command of the stage and a twinkle in his eye. Langdon is a fine mimic and breathes life into a wide array of characters, from a Florida gigolo to the hardworking Dr. Nagangupta, the only character to appear in all three monologues.

Next up is Jennifer Harmon as Lucy Stickler, who says she’s not a murderer yet, but she soon will be. That tantalizing detail is enough to make the audience sit up and take notice.

That is another strength of the play. We know at the outset that all are murderers; what we don’t know is how and why.

Harmon’s Lucy is a Southern belle, wronged by her man – and Margaret Faydle – and out for revenge. The lengths to which she’ll go might surprise some, but Harmon’s Lucy is charming, disarming and fully believable.

In Riddle Key, Lucy explains, cars have given way to golf carts and there’s a hierarchy of living accommodations that acts of a sort of conveyor belt to the funeral home: Villas are detached homes; condos are attached; then there are apartments and, finally, the senior center, which she calls “the dump chute to death.”

Hatcher’s writing is accessible and quite funny, as when Lucy describes her nemesis, Margaret Faydle, being surrounded at a party “by as many men as are ambulatory.”

Bush’s early involvement with the “Murderers” leads you to assume that his actors’ interpretations of the characters are as the playwright intended.

As Minka Lupino – the efficient Riddle Key administrative assistant cum avenging angel – Skye has an angry, rough edge that serves to makes her less sympathetic. She seems to be rattling off a speech, not reliving events from her life.

At Hudson Stage, Gallo played Minka as a mild-mannered, sweet, gentle soul, nibbling candies as she curled up with mysteries by her favorite author, J.G. Garland. She related her murders with a sweetness that was entirely at odds with her actions – and won us over.

(Think about that old chestnut “Arsenic & Old Lace” in which two old ladies sweetly send lonely men to the great beyond without an ounce of remorse, guile or venom. If they had been snarling, vengeful women, the comedy would have been diminished.)

Skye’s choice to play Minka that way is one actors are called on to make with the guidance of directors – and, to her credit, she runs with it.

The production values at the Emelin are first-rate.

Tony Ferrieri’s set is impressive: An imposing stucco wall with a wrought-iron-and-stained-glass gate that opens to reveal three completely different playing areas – a prison anteroom, a well-appointed condo and the Riddle Key administrative offices.

Traci Klainer’s lighting is varied, subtle and effective, creating pools of interest on the Emelin stage.

The costumes, by Karen Ann Ledger and Robert C.T. Steele, add much, particularly Harmon’s nightgown and final ensemble.

But the words are what matters here and Hatcher makes the most of every one.

His characters may have helped others meet their end, but Hatcher’s “Murderers” marks a strong beginning for the new Emelin.

‘Murderers’
Where: The Emelin Theatre, 153 Library Lane, Mamaroneck.
When: Through Feb. 10; 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Official opening at 7 p.m. tomorrow.
Tickets: $32 matinee, $35 evening.
Call: 914-698-0098.
Web: www.emelin.org.

Photo: The cast of “Murderers” at Mamaroneck’s Emelin Theatre is, from left: Robin Skye, Brent Langdon and Jennifer Harmon. (Photo by Adrien Goulet)