On Stage: Murder Village: An Improvised Whodunnit

Reviewing a performance of Murder Village: An Improvised Whodunnit is fraught with danger.

That’s not because the show is bad. In fact the performance we saw, on opening night at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, was brilliant.

The challenge comes as no two shows are the same. So, the 60 minute show we witnessed at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Members Lounge will be different to the show the next night.

Of course, that’s the joy of the show for both audiences and the actors – no one knows exactly what’s going to happen!

What audiences do know is that the show is set in an English village typical of a 1950s Agatha Christie novel.  And that someone is murdered.

Who is murdered depends on the audience as before the show you are asked to vote for a victim and murderer through a QR code. You are also asked to nominate a murder weapon and a clue to help solve the murder. The cast then incorporate the results into an improvised show.

Like the show the cast, who come from such groups as The Big HOO-HAA! Melbourne, Impro Melbourne and Impromptunes, also changes with a core of 20 actors and  improvisors available.

The one constant in each show is the role of Detective Inspector Owen Gullet (played by David Massingham) who solves the murder with the help of an amateur sleuth.

On the night of our performance that sleuth was the famous international detective Monsieur Aragon Pewter ( Lliam Amor). Characters audiences could vote for to die or be the murderer were Marion Kind, (Amanda Buckley) Dame Queenie Bea (Amy Moule), Bartholomew Fuzz (Ben McCarthy) and Clarinda Pleasant (Kathryn Tohill).

All actors did a fantastic job of improvising and really seemed to be enjoying themselves as did the audience.  This was especially true of the group whose victim, murderer, murder weapon (a penny-farthing wheel) and clue (false teeth) were used in the show.

It’s easy to understand why Murder Village has been such a hit with audiences since its first performance 10 years ago.

It’s funny, clever and showcases some of our most talented and clever improvisation performers.  It’s also a show you could see many times and still have no idea what’s going to happen!

Murder Village: An Improvised Whodunnit is playing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival until April 19. For tickets visit the Melbourne International Comedy Festival website.

Jenny Burns attended opening night of the show as a guest of the production company.

*Photos were taken at a previous show.