Murder At Midnight (touring) ★★★★

Have you heard the one about the gangster, the priest and the nervous clown? That only scratches the surface of Murder at Midnight, the follow-up to Torben Betts’ 2023 play Murder in the Dark. The cast boasts an impressive line-up of TV faces… But with so many murder mysteries out there, has Original Theatre brought something new to the (bloodstained) table?

The plot revolves around one-eyed gangster Jonny “the Cyclops” Drinkwater (Jason Durr), whose Kent mansion provides the backdrop to the ensuing chaos. The play opens with police officers searching the premises on New Year’s Day, following a series of murders that have taken place at midnight (and the unexplained demise of Jonny’s wife previously). The focus then shifts back to the events of that fateful night. Also living in the mansion are Jonny’s wandering mother (Susie Blake) and his feisty girlfriend (Katie McGlynn). Add to the mix a bungling police officer going undercover as a priest (Max Bowden), an anxious robber in a clown mask and an unhinged sidekick, and the scene is set for farce most fatal.

The play incorporates many individual plotlines and five different locations, which are represented effectively by one static set divided into sections. This works well because the pace of the action is breakneck at times, and focus switches from character to character just as fast. Each one is lonely in their own way, and this is a theme throughout – comedy meets tragedy, with social commentary thrown in. Jason Durr exudes warmth and menace as the Robbie Williams-obsessed gangster who is lovable but deadly. Susie Blake gives a commanding and wickedly funny turn as the seemingly vague mother who knows more than people give credit. They are ably supported by the rest of the cast, who tackle the complexities of the staging and dense plotlines with aplomb. Special recognition goes to Iryna Poplavska, making her theatrical debut in the role of carer Cristina – her performance was assured, funny and poignant throughout.

Murder At Midnight is a wild ride of a show – not for the faint-hearted, but certainly original and thought-provoking. There are some fantastic one-liners, and the shifts in tone between comedy and intense drama are handled well. In a show that packs in so much, it’s inevitable that not everything will hit the funny spot, but if Tarantino directing an episode of Inside No 9 sounds like your thing, make a date for midnight.

Murder at Midnight was reviewed at Birmingham Rep