Murder, She Didn't Write @ Pleasance Courtyard

Well-structured and plot-driven, Murder She Didn't Write has all the markings of a textbook murder mystery; the pre-murder context, character development followed by an inciting incident, the investigation of facts and motivations, and, of course, the ultimate reveal.

It is all executed with lively humour, spoof and pastiche within the backdrop of a posh mansion in the English countryside. Contributing to the story, the requisite audience participation includes making several decisions: the event, an object of interest and something unique about that object. The choice ultimately rested with a randomly selected audience member who is given the name Gherkin (pronounced jerkin) by an excessively bourgeois and confident master of ceremonies.

Tonight, the audience naturally chose an absurd premise; a seance marked by an unusually straight banana. From there on, the show shuffles about exhaustively to the audience’s delight, bringing the story to life (and then death) within the narrative structure. Witty retorts and jibes induce steady giggles as much as the expected on-stage errors and confusion – many which took the form of dialogue interruptions. The combination of clever comedy and suspense is enough to keep the audience excited, satisfied and guessing until the end while the cast disemvoweled each other over the murder.

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Murder, She Didn't Write: The Improvised Murder Mystery, Pleasance Courtyard (Beyond), until 28 Aug, 5pm, £9-12.50