A review by Ellie Kimberley
Conservatoire EAST is kicking off its run of productions for the new academic year with a new side-splitting comedic murder mystery.
‘Too Many Detectives at the Murder Mansion’ follows Detective Kane (played by Hannah Green) and Detective Christie (played by Isla Redgewell) as they try to solve a murder during a star-studded detective convention. This hilarious whodunnit leaves the audience questioning everything they know about their favourite detective characters, with everyone from Miss Marple (Anya Peploe) and Sherlock (Liv Rowan) to the Scooby Doo Mystery Gang and the Hardy Boys (Vinnie King and Chrissie Quintero Hunt) taking to the stage.
Nobody could have predicted the murder solving gala at Madame Doyle’s Murder Mansion going wrong, but the glamorous event takes a brutal turn for the worst when Madame Doyle herself (played by Ebony Bailey) winds up dead!
The two-hour play is a rollercoaster of emotions, filled to the brim with every imaginable twist and turn. The cast effortlessly pull off the comedy re-enactments of possible explanations of the murder, keeping the audience on their toes with a swarm of theories.
Throughout the play, the relationships between the characters develop in shocking ways, with Shaggy and Scooby Doo (played by Sam Cassidy) lightening up the mood with their world-renowned mischief throughout, and podcaster Aggie (played Lucy Quirke) ferociously leading the charge to lock up the detectives for their alleged crimes.
Will the podcasters be able to crack the case they are so sure they’re capable of unriddling, even when the suspects are all genius detectives themselves? Or will the determined detectives Kane and Christie solve the murder first, despite the lack of faith the guests have in them?
The whole cast delivered cackle-worthy comedy, shining under the direction of Emily Taylor-Balls.
With the production closing on Saturday 7November, make sure you don’t miss out on this nostalgic mashup for all the family.
