Murder, She Didn’t Write at Royal & Derngate Northampton

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Janine Rumble

If you are a fan of sleuthing, who loves a good whodunnit, loves a good game of Cluedo and consider yourself to be something of an armchair detective, then this is the show for you. If you like improvisation and an immersive experience, then this is also the show for you. I had very little idea of what I was to experience when attending Murder, She Didn’t Write, but following my attendance, I will definitely be seeking out this show and others like it again. It was a brilliant, rip-roaring, side-splitting whodunnit, set in the stylish 1920s. By the time the show ended, my sides hurt and my jaw hurt from laughing so much. Who knew that a murder at a cushion conference with a pointy pet rock could become a show and be so funny!?!

This improvised murder mystery is different each and every night, with the audience actively encouraged to make suggestions as to what the occasion was when the murder took place, a central clue, the key to unlocking the murder, the victim and the murderer, the latter two being with the aid of a hapless detective (audience member). Through the skill and the quick wit of the cast, who are all members of the improv group, Degrees of Error, this nonsensical, hilarious murder mystery unfolds. It was tremendous and I spent most of the evening laughing out loud and marvelling at how quick they were to respond to each other with quips and japs and just hilarious creativity.

The show was narrated/led by Detective Agatha Crusty, one of Degrees of Error co-founder Lizzy Skrzypiec, who complete with the obligatory detective raincoat, took us on the journey of what happened before, during and after the murder. She was always sat to the side of the stage in a green leather wingback chair making copious notes throughout the show, it was towards the end of the show when you realised why she made so many notes, as there was no way she could have remembered all of the hilarious things that were said on stage to help solve the murder.

The characters were thought up on stage in front of you and you watched as the characters and plot lines evolved with much silliness and hilarity, even down to their names and what their part was in this murder mystery. Degrees of Error has a large cast who change regularly, as is the joy and ability with an improv show. In the show I watched last night was Rachel Procter Lane, Peter Baker, Douglas Walker, Sylvia Bishop, Stephen Clements and Rob Kershaw. It was brilliant to watch as the show progressed just how much they all enjoyed improv and the silliness of the show. It was funny to see how they reacted to each other and what was being said. It was also funny to see them trying not to laugh at each other’s silliness and how they sometimes made things difficult for the other cast member to react with something they said or did. I was amazed at how quick witted they were in responding to each other, which shows how well the cast have gelled together and can work off of each other with ease. It really was like watching a bunch of friends having a great time and winding each other up when things took a rude turn.

In a very Cluedo-esque way, the stage was very simply designed represent the time of the 1920s, props were few, but used to great effect and the costumes were of the era and very cleverly coloured to match the Cluedo colours. There was also a pianist, who very cleverly added music whenever was appropriate and this added to the dramatics and hilariousness of the situation. Also, the way the victim and the murderer were chosen were very Cluedo, with the hapless detective/audience member, secretly choosing a coloured card for both the victim and the murderer, which was then secretly shown to the cast. The ending where Detective Agatha Crusty revealed who the murderer was using her extensive notes curated during the show was brilliant and just like a TV whodunnit.

If you are looking for a very different, random and unexpected night at the theatre, then I highly recommend going to see this show and give it a rip-roaring 5/5 stars! Book tickets to see it, I promise you will not regret it.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets are available from the theatre websites www.royalandderngate.co.uk with full details on murdershedidntwrite.com Tickets are from £22. Murder, She Didn’t Write is on at the Royal until Thursday 17th April 2025.

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