“There’s been a murder!”
Ordinarily such an exclamation would be met with gasps of horror but tonight, as a storm gathers off the south coast on a cruel January evening, it might just be met with howls of laughter instead. For thanks to Wick Theatre Company’s (or should I say… The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild’s Dramatic Society’s) production of Murder Mystery, tonight the victim is not the only one in stitches.
A wondrous cast deliver this meta-theatrical play-within-a-play in which the aforementioned Dramatic Society have taken it upon themselves to produce a murder mystery of epic proportions – complete with intrigue, suspense and scandal. In the wake of some previous theatrical mishaps, they are certain that this Chess-themed ‘whodunnit’ will right the ship and have their audience scratching their chins throughout this dramatic tour-de-force.
Instead, it has their audience clutching their sides throughout a climactic tour-de-farce. It turns out that a certain amount of wrongs do, in fact, make a right and tonight’s entertainment – a polished farce in which everything falls apart beautifully – is certainly proof of it. There are prop mishaps, line loops and outbreaks of stagefright. In a world familiar with the likes of Noises Off and Boeing, Boeing (as well as the entire catalogue of Mischief Theatre), it might be thought hard to keep up. But this team does more than compete, they excel. The cast play it fantastically straight all the way through, humble in their humour and letting the script speak for itself. Tony Brownings’ direction keeps the action rattling along at a dizzying pace which serves the calamity and spectacle, with some dazzling set-pieces thrown in for good measure along the way (I mean how many shows can boast a quiz, a fashion show and even a collective sing-song as part of the action?)
Murder Mystery is undoubtedly a great success, just not perhaps in quite the way that The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild’s Dramatic Society would have imagined. Part-Christie, part-catastrophe and fully hilarious, this production is the perfect tonic to chase away any January blues. It is both a send-up of and a loveletter to the world of amateur dramatics and proof, if we ever needed it, that the very factor which makes theatre magical – its unfettered liveness – is often what can render it tragical.
The Barn Theatre, Southwick | Wednesday 7th January 2026
For tickets and further information click here
Photo by Miles Davies
