Murder She Didn't Write (touring) ★★★★

The fictional murder mystery has long been a popular genre in literature and on screen; from Agatha Christie to The Thursday Murder Club, there’s something about a whodunnit that intrigues and enthrals. Many authors have spent years working on their masterpieces – is it possible to concoct a brand-new thriller in under two hours?

Stepping up to the challenge are Degrees of Error, a Bristol-based comedy team specialising in all things improv. They have been a popular fixture at the Edinburgh Fringe, where their shows regularly sell out, since 2013. The current tour of their most lauded play, Murder She Didn’t Write, has dates booked until November, including stints in the West End, Edinburgh and even Adelaide.

The very fluid nature of the show means that a detailed plot overview is of no use – every performance will be entirely different, even down to the characters who feature. As a broad outline, the play is introduced by a detective who acts as an occasional narrator and link to the audience (in the first Leicester show, the role was playfully and adeptly fulfilled by Sylvia Bishop as Ida Hunch). It is this character who extracts suggestions from the audience with regard to the play’s setting, weapon used, etc.; they also determine (again through audience participation) which member of the cast will be the victim and who will be the culprit. This is done secretly to enable people to guess where the finger of suspicion should point.

This truly is an ensemble piece, with all cast members displaying a remarkable talent for improvisation. The troupe is directed by Lizzy Skrzypiec, who (for the Leicester shows) appears alongside Peter Baker, Caitlin Campbell, Stephen Clements, and Rachael Procter-Lane. One of the fun elements of the production is the great delight the performers take in setting each other up with challenges, such as speaking fluently in a foreign language or making up a song on the spot. There’s a tremendous diversity to the comedy, ranging from very witty comebacks to broad slapstick and innuendo. And the improv doesn’t stop at the actors – a key ingredient is the live keyboard accompaniment throughout, which shifts from easy listening to high drama, influenced in part by the audience’s suggestions.

As with any play that is largely spontaneous, not everything connects all the time, but this is undoubtedly a funny show with impressive performances and well worth a watch.