Murder, She Didn’t Write is an improvised comedy murder mystery from Degrees of Error, built around audience suggestions to create a fresh whodunnit each night. The audience supplies key details, including the weapon, event, victim and killer, and the cast deftly turns these prompts into a coherent, entertaining story, inventing characters on the spot and often landing on hilarious, unexpected outcomes.

It is an affectionate spoof of the whodunnit genre.

Justin Williams’ cleverly ambiguous set, a collection of wooden doors, windows and period-style pieces, evokes Christie’s era while leaving room for improvisation. Detective Hugh Dunnit sits at the edge of the stage with the air of a young Oscar Wilde. Dunnit steers the action, interrupting the cast with outlandish or intricate details that test the limits of their on-the-spot invention.

This performance revolved around a séance and a pogo stick that played Cher’s “Believe” whenever it bounced, the kind of bizarre combination that changes from show to show.

The cast are charming, embracing a knowingly tongue-in-cheek style while reacting to their “puppeteer” as he reminds them of yet another unlikely skill. Like the dead rodeo star who knew nothing about Colorado but was expected to produce facts relating to the state. Monica Gaga’s Viola Violet had fun as the inventor of cleaning, armed with an ever-ready supply of groan-worthy dad puns. Musical director Richard Baker stayed on stage as pianist throughout, adding a pleasing layer of spontaneous underscoring to the unfolding action.

As with any improv show, much depends on what the audience gives the performers, and the format works best when everyone commits fully to the game.

The improvisation feels almost scripted, yet remains unmistakably live. Characters are created quickly and confidently to fit each role and situation, resulting in performances that are both funny and compelling.

Murder, She Didn’t Write is a distinctive theatrical experience, combining audience participation with sharp improvisation to delight comedy and mystery fans alike. The charismatic cast handles bizarre situations without corpsing to build a wonderfully engaging plot.

Reviewed by Nina Gardner

Four Stars

Playing at: – Assembly George Square – Gordon Aikman Theatre   until 31^st August

Tickets and further information can be found following the link below

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/murder-she-didn-t-write