Murder at Midnight Review

Review by Beth
Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review

Midnight, New Years Eve. A historic missing person case and a night of brutality, questioned blame and a stakeout gone wrong. Murder at Midnight is the comedy thriller that combines all of this with a sprinkling of dark and farcical humour that provides a thrilling night of twists and turns.

Photo by Pamela Raith.

I went into the audience of this show with no true expectations, having really only heard the title and knowing a couple of cast members, namely Jason Durr of Heartbeat fame, and Coronation Street’s Susie Blake and Katie McGlynn. Having gone in not knowing what to expect, I still found myself pleasantly surprised by the tone of the piece, serving a dichotomy of a dark and grisly tale of murder combined with utter hilarity and outrage. 

This was truly a play that was entirely self aware; right from the opening we are greeting by the dulcet tones of Mr Robbie Williams singing Let Me Entertain You. We are told that if someone ‘wrote a play’ of the story as it unfolds, no one would believe it!

Jason Durr plays Jonny, or more famously The Cyclopes. Jonny is a criminal mastermind working as head of a crime gang, coming home for ‘the bongs’ of New Years Eve as a surprise for his girlfriend and elderly mother. He also happens to be a huge Robbie Williams fan, even naming his terrifying Rottweilers after him and his music. Through the play, we explore the family dynamics at home and wonder why his wife went missing. Though Durr’s reputation precedes him, this play brings a performance unlike anything we’ve seen from him before. He strikes the perfect balance between being sinister and comic and remained gripping throughout.

Susie Blake plays Shirley, Jonny’s seemingly senile mother. Wielding tarot cards, she worries for the fate of the evening, convinced that the devil walks among them. Blake’s performance was equally as captivating as Durr’s; by Act Two, her simple arrival to the stage had the audience giggling in anticipation.

Photo by Pamela Raith

Next in this stellar cast we have Paul, played by Max Bowden. Paul is an undercover policeman attempting to save his career by uncovering the killer of Mrs Drinkwater through seducing Jonny’s girlfriend Lisa … all while dressed as a priest! Bowden is instantly likeable to the audience; we root for him to succeed whilst realising more and more how much of an unlikely hero he would be.

Lisa herself is played by the wonderful Katie McGlynn. Her Lisa is totally unpredictable in the best way; loveable yet piteous, suspicious yet innocent. Her catchphrase ‘do you know what I mean when I said that’ runs from beginning to the bitter end. We see her inner conflict between remaining loyal to Jonny (and indeed his money) and once again falling for the wrong man with Paul.

The cast continues to go from strength to strength with Callum Balmforth’s Russell. We first meet Russell, or ‘Coco’, in a clown mask when he attempts to steal from Jonny, not realising just who he is dealing with. We truly root for him once we realise he is in totally over his head with loan sharks, trying to support a wife and child at home. Jonny is less than sympathetic however, leading to some wonderful physical acting by Balmforth when the pair finally come face to face.

Looking after Shirley is a Romanian carer called Cristina, played by Iryna Poplavska. I have to say that this performance was one of my favourites of the night. The poor woman is trapped in a totally ridiculous and terrifying situation, and we see her panic rise throughout the story.

Completing our principle cast is Peter Moreton as Trainwreck, Jonny’s right hand man and best friend. Trainwreck is loyal to Jonny yet feeling hopeless and unimportant, seeking solace in Jonny’s embrace as well as bricks and bricks of white powder… Moreton’s stage presence is superb and gripping, particularly in our final scene. Finishing the cast are Bella Farr and Andy McLeod. There certainly isn’t a weak link in this cast!

It is hard to share much more about this play without giving major spoilers! The set design lends itself perfectly to the fast paced nature of the plot, allowing easy switching between four locations in a ping-pong style without slowing the story down. The show also featured some fun stage tricks throughout.

Photo by Pamela Raith

Though this play may not have been quite what I had  expected, it provided a wonderful night of comedy and thrill and the entire audience were captivated from beginning to end.

Murder at Midnight plays at Derby Theatre until Saturday 13th September before continuing on a tour of the UK. 

Tickets are available from https://derbytheatre.co.uk/event/murder-at-midnight/. It
would be a crime to miss it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TW- this show contains adult themes and scenes of physical violence. Audience discretion is advised.