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A Highly Suspect Murder Mystery – Murder at the Movies

 
Elanor Parker Review by Elanor Parker 3 Published: 12 Aug 2023 theSpace @ Surgeons Hall Show Dates: 4 Aug 2023-26 Aug 2023

A silly solve-a-long mystery, this is for anyone who wishes their Agatha Christie murders were packed with a few more puns.

Enough to get any amateur sleuth hooked

The performances are knowingly overblown, leaning into the cartoonish characters drawn directly from the golden era of the silver screen. However, if you're expecting to sit back and relax into simply watching these walking talking archetypes: think again. This is an interactive whodunit and you'll be tasked with trying to solve the mystery by trawling through evidence packs and studying the performers in front of you.

Although plenty of teams in the audience were whippersnapper fast, it felt as though there was perhaps a little too much information in the pack thoroughly investigate for the amount of time given. It's not easy to set a difficulty level for a mixed audience, but it would probably be helpful if you've had previous experience putting your little grey cells to work puzzle solving and it's likely that younger audience members will not be able to solve any of the clues given. Nonetheless, even if you have to take a shot in the dark when it comes to fingering the killer, the performance is a barrel of fun regardless, and the time will certainly fly by.

It's clear that the whole production has been thoroughly thought through. The team behind Highly Suspect leave no stone unturned when it comes to adding entertainment, with puns placed everywhere possible (see the writer named Turner Page), pop culture references littered throughout (the identical twins running the studio are named Tom and Jerry), and plenty of nudge-nudge wink-wink when it comes to the 1940s setting whilst interacting with the audience ("You can find the WiFi code by the door there....and what's WiFi?!")

Although the puns might occasionally seem a little fishy (and net a few groans as a result), this amusing mystery is enough to get any amateur sleuth hooked.

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The Blurb:

Lights. Camera. Murder! Two stars are killed in impossible locked rooms; but who’s behind the Hollywood homicides? Award-winning mystery maestros Highly Suspect return with a new hilarious interactive murder mystery which the audience must solve! Featuring a fiendish plot, evidence to examine and cryptic clues to crack, can you deduce whodunnit? Fun, frivolity and fatalities guaranteed! ‘Providing plenty of laughs and a few twists… I challenge you not to feel exhilarated by Highly Suspect’s hugely successful production.’ ***** (EdFringeReview.com). Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe 2022. Sold out, 2021-2022.