Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review.
Picture this: the year is 1929, and we’re early watching the guests at the Kettering Cushion Convention. The air is filled with the scent of upholstery and anticipation, that is, until a murder changes the course of the evening.
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| Lizzy Skrzypiec. Photo by Pamela Raith Photography. |
This was the plot for the evening with the brilliant improvisers from Degrees of Error and their hit show Murder, She Didn't Write. The improvised murder mystery is a real delight, packed full of hilarious work by those on stage who create the plot from scratch in front of our eyes, leading to big laughs in the audience and occasionally on stage too!
The piece begins as we are introduced to our witty detective, Agatha Crusty, played splendidly by the talented Lizzy Skrzypiec. She sets the scene and opens up the audience to shout out suggestions. Crusty also throws a deerstalker into the audience, selecting one person who becomes the assistant and plays a key role in driving forward the plot.
Initially, we're asked for the occasion that brings the characters together. After a few suggestions, including the Dentist (which is wittily also made it into the show), it is settled that this mystery takes place at the Kettering Cushion Convention Centre, where the latest convention is about to take place. We are also asked for a key central clue, and this is settled on as a pointy pet rock, which is humourously dubbed as William. The victim and the murderer are selected using cards with each character on. With a gem of an idea mined our mystery begins.
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| The cast of Murder, She Didn’t Write. Photo by Pamela Raith Photography. |
The improvisational talent on display was nothing short of extraordinary. The cast on this evening made up of Skrzypiec, Rachael Proctor-Lane, Peter Baker, Douglas Walker, Sylvia Bishop and Stephen Clements, expertly juggled humour and intrigue, leaving us guessing— and laughing —throughout the show. The sheer spontaneity of the performance keeps you on the edge of our seats, waiting to see how suggestions made by the audience or by Crusty would manifest in the unfolding drama. There are some real think on the feet moments and some tremendous physical work thrown in for good measure.
Our play does get a little surreal at times as one character, Roger Red has the idea of stuffing live animals into cushions whilst his wife Bernadette gets more than aquianted with a particularly soft goose stuffed chaise longue!
The piece is underscore by Sara Garrard's live piano and Rob Kershaw on the lighting and sound (or show editor as he is labelled in the programme). Although at times the lighting could have been a little stronger as characters would sometimes be a little underlit, though it must be a real challenge to provide lighting when you don't know what is coming next.
I'd have loved it more if there were more audience suggestions used throughout. Bar the opening suggestions the audience are never asked again for any more ideas and I feel this could have added more spontinaity and helped drive the plot on further. It did being to falter a little as we pushed on into act two and a few more audience suggestions could have kept the pace going.
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| The cast of Murder, She Didn’t Write. Photo by Pamela Raith Photography. |
If you’re looking for a night filled with laughter, mystery, and audience participation, this comedy murder mystery is definitely worth your time. Degrees of Error has truly mastered the art of improvisation, making for a brilliant evening of entertainment. As every performance is different, be sure to expect the unexpected. I'm not sure I'll ever look at a cushion the same way again!
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Murder, She Didn't Write plays at Royal and Derngate in Northampton until Thursday 17th April. Tickets are available from https://www.royalandderngate.co.uk/
The show plays on an extensive UK tour throughout 2025. Visit https://www.murdershedidntwrite.com/ for tour dates and venues.
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