Murder She Didn't Write - Assembly Gordon Aikman Theatre - Edinburgh Fringe Review

Returning once more to Assembly’s Gordan Aikman Theatre, Fringe favourites ‘Murder She Didn’t write’ are back creating murder mysteries, complete with twists, turns, and increasingly ridiculous manners of committing the crime, all on the spot, based entirely on the suggestions of the audience.

Improvised comedy is a big hitting genre at the Edinburgh Fringe, with it feeling as if every other person flyering is inviting you to come and see something made up for one night and one night only. Therefore, the theatre companies that specialise in such a performance style have to find their unique selling point, something special that grabs a potential audience member’s attention and convinces them to book their ticket. And thankfully, Degrees of Error, the team behind ‘Murder She Didn’t Write’, have found their USP, ran with it and created a winning formula for theatrical success.

The show begins with a detective choosing an audience member, by the throwing of a flat cap, to pick both the murderer and the victim by choosing coloured cards that correspond with the costumes worn by the cards. Think Cluedo and you will be able to picture it. The cast are shown the cards, but the audience are not and throughout we are invited to pick who we think the killer is once the murder has been committed. The audience also choose the setting and the weapon of choice which, of course, leads to some chaotic and hilarious suggestions. At the performance I attended, the action took place at a pie factory with the weapon being a steam punk Shetland pony.

The action is entirely improvised by the talented and clearly tight knit cast, who delight in creating more and more absurd scenarios, making both the audience and each other laugh endlessly. The mystery of the murder itself is unravelled and revealed through a series of flashbacks, pushed into action by the quick, witty and altogether hilarious dialogue created on the drop of a hat. In this performance, we saw secret relationships, odd pie fillings, a pie taster who experienced a different emotion for every flavour of pie, improvised Shetland ponies and rivalry between pie factories.

It takes a lot of work to make something improvised and make it look polished and complete, but the team at ‘Murder She Didn’t Write’ do exactly this and make it look very easy. This is a company that have been working together for a number of years and it is clear to see how close they are as they naturally bounce off each other’s energy and are able to work together to create the story.

With each murder mystery being 100 percent improvised, you are presented with something entirely different at every single performance, and with ‘Murder She Didn’t Write’ you are guaranteed to see an hilarious mystery adventure at every viewing.

Following their run at the Edinburgh Fringe, ‘Murder She Didn’t Write’ heads out on a UK Tour with shows scheduled in Shrewsbury, Yeovil, Southampton, Paignton, Buxton, Isle of Man, The Duchess Theatre in the West End, Chelmsford, Horsham, Poole, Bury St Edmunds, Wolverhampton, Bristol, Leicester and Carlisle.