Last year I had the pleasure of reviewing Murder Most Unexpected, an improvised murder mystery created by the Cambridge Improv Factory, at the ADC Theatre, Cambridge. This year, I’m back again to ask: can I find something new in the unexpected? Though while the plot is different every night there is one thing that is certain with this group, whatever they come up with will be hilarious.
The format of the show is simple, but effective. The audience is tasked with helping our host, Detective Christopher Agathie (David McHardy), in solving a murder. The issue is that our esteemed detective can’t seem to remember anything about the murder, so we have to help him to recall the location, the victim, murderer, and the method of dispatch. Our cast, David McHardy, Kate Weedy, Jonathan Rosten, Alex Wilber, Kate Madison, Hugh Clark, Jack Sullivan and Alan Hay, then have to build the plot of this mystery from scratch, with some prior direction from David McHardy. With this information, I wonder how much of the show can be directed ahead of time. Oh, to have a peak behind the curtain! From a clueless audience’s perspective, providing a cohesive story, while building characters, motives, and possible murder weapons is no mean feat. The cast has to remember everything that has been set up previously and then add to the story without breaking the established rules. Poor Alex Wilber managed to back himself into a fear of the word “open”, causing the rest of the cast to try and catch him out at every opportunity, much to our enjoyment.
Don’t think it’s just the cast that get to have all the fun! Sound and lighting operators, Alan Morgan and Dominic Plunkett, join in on the action. With no cue script to follow, everything has to be done on the fly. This gives them the perfect opportunity to prank the cast by forcing flashbacks or trying to find the right sound for the action on stage at a second’s notice. Don’t have the sound effect of a knife being sharpened? A clown horn will do. The visual and audio effects for the more scripted parts of the show, voting and such, are spot on and really help with the drama of it all. A quick shout out for the set too. A fabulous Edwardian manor house, with bookcases and Cluedo style weapons dotted about and really setting the scene for a murder. Though, for the show I saw it was suspiciously Lido shaped. A lido being the setting for the murder as suggested by the audience. It works as an effective set, setting clear definitions for the acting space versus the resting space for the cast, and hosting various pieces of furniture for use when dramatically lounging or mooning. A large picture frame also sports a lovely portrait of the murder victim throughout the second act, a lovely addition from last year’s set.
Possibly the only thing in this show that can be expected is the improvisational talent of this cast. They all play the game like well oiled improv machines, helping each other when needed but turning up the chaos wherever possible to create an immensely enjoyable show for all. Since last year, the set and production quality has been kicked up a gear and the show format has not only maintained its flawless structure, but they have somehow improved it even more. In particular, I appreciated the recap of each character’s motivations and quirks before each vote and the new set portraits. The beauty of improv shows is that every night is unique. Definitely go and see this one at least once and embrace the unexpected. Runs at ADC Theatre Cambridge until Saturday 1st July.
Photo images from rehearsal
