From left, Murder-on-the-Lake ensemble members Kristopher Bowman, Cosette Derome, and Virgilia Griffith. With a different lead and ensemble that switch out roles every performance, the show may just be unreviewable.Michael Cooper/Shaw Festival
Title: Murder-on-the-Lake
Created by: Rebecca Northan and Bruce Horak
Performed by: Kristopher Bowman, Cosette Derome, Sochi Fried, Virgilia Griffith, Martin Happer, Bruce Horak, Rebecca Northan, Travis Seetoo
Directed by: Rebecca Northan
Company: Spontaneous Theatre, presented at the Shaw Festival
Venue: Royal George Theatre
City: Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
Year: Runs to Oct. 4
The Shaw Festival is hardly known for its improv. But Murder-on-the-Lake, a relentlessly witty whodunit which sees an audience member thrust into the lead role of Head Detective, ought to change that.
Created by Rebecca Northan and Bruce Horak – whom audiences might recognize as two of the improvisers goblin-ing their way through canonical dramas in Stratford and beyond – this Agatha Christie spoof is an utter delight, a cheeky palate cleanser to the festival’s brainier, more Shavian programming.
When patrons arrive at the Royal George Theatre, they’re met by a fleet of “cops” searching for their next detective. Think that could be you? In order to find out, you’ll be asked to fill out a survey about your job, hobbies and hometown to see if you might be a fit for the fictional police force. (I can share from experience that admitting your position as theatre critic for The Globe and Mail is a surefire way to be disqualified from consideration for the gig. No hard feelings, though.)
The game is afoot from there. The chosen detective – on Sunday afternoon, a good-natured musician from Buffalo named Brian – is tasked with solving the murder of a woman named Jan (whose ghostly form bears suspicious resemblance to the chief of police, as well as director Northan). Who killed her? That’s for the Head Detective to figure out, with help from a quirky cast of characters who may or may not be to blame for Jan’s demise.
Travis Seetoo, left, and Martin Happer in a scene from Murder-on-the-Lake.Michael Cooper/Shaw Festival
One of the joys of improv is that you never get the same show twice – that’s true and then some in Murder-on-the-Lake. The Head Detective changes with every performance, of course, but Northan and Horak have smartly built another variable into the show’s conceit: The ensemble switches out roles, as well, and so seldom play the same part between performances. One day, they might be a bumbling cop, the next a suspect or even the murderer themselves. It’s that rare theatrical experience that’s worth seeing more than once – the format is loose enough that it’s unlikely to feel repetitive or boring between watches.
Murder-on-the-Lake might sag with a less agile, drily funny cast. Northan in particular keeps up beautifully with the show’s more unpredictable moments, and ably shepherds the Head Detective toward clues and cues without breaking up the flow of the story.
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Sochi Fried, who played a frenetic chiropractor on Sunday afternoon, is a treat to watch in this setting; so is Virgilia Griffith. Special kudos, as well, to Travis Seetoo, another artist working to infuse the Shaw Festival with the magic of improv: His Dungeons and Dragons-inspired Roll of Shaw series combines the themes of the fest’s programming with the more interactive processes of rolling dice and sculpting a silly story.
There’s a case to be made that Murder-on-the-Lake is unreviewable. That its most central actor knows nothing about the story (or theatre-making in general) isn’t just marketing fluff: The production, all two-and-a-half hours of it, hinges entirely on the chosen audience member. It’s doubtful the actors will choose a boring Head Detective – hence the extensive screening in the lobby beforehand – but by definition, your mileage may vary. Some performances will be stronger than others.
Still, as this year’s Shaw Festival winds to a close, Murder-on-the-Lake is an inspired piece of programming that makes great use of Tons of Money’s frilly set (designed by Judith Bowden), as well as handy, colour-co-ordinated costumes by Rose Tavormina. Much respect, too, for the technicians keeping up with Murder-on-the-Lake’s plot in real time – John Gzowski’s sound and Jeff Pybus’s lighting designs make room for the play to tighten and twist as the Head Detective sees fit.
A little goofy? For sure. But Murder-on-the-Lake, spring-loaded with gags about the Shaw Festival and its environs, ought to make it into your late-season travel plans – it’s a hoot, and a fabulous vehicle for Spontaneous Theatre’s improvised, non-goblin pursuits.
