The Shaw Festival Theatre Review: Murder-on-the-Lake
By Ross
There is a classic, ominous, tongue-in-cheek musical moment, thanks to the solid (and improvised) sound design by John Gzowski (Tarragon’s Post-Democracy), that signals the beginnings of a few deadly happenings ahead as the thoroughly entertaining and hilarious Murder-on-the-Lake takes over the Royal George Theatre at the Shaw Festival. I must admit, sheepishly, that I wasn’t entirely looking forward to this interactive improv murder mystery comedy. It didn’t seem like my kind of evening. Improv isn’t exactly my thing, as each night, one intrepid audience member, selected by a few ‘officers’ in the lobby pre-show, is invited on stage to go undercover and help law enforcement “ferret out means, opportunity, and motive in a cold case that has locals spooked, tourists trepidatious, and police utterly baffled“. It sounds like a bit of a nightmare to me. But I couldn’t have been more mistaken.
Because this show, an expertly crafted and inventive whodunit, brought to life by Rebecca Northan and Bruce Horak of Spontaneous Theatre, the team behind the incredibly smart Goblin:Macbeth (and the soon-to-arrive Goblin:Oedipus), is everything one could hope for and so much more. It’s a non-stop, joyful romp through death and murder, both playfully delicious and seriously funny from start to finish. Directed with wise and wickedly constructed formulations by creator Northan (Here For Now Theatre’s Stick Around), a skilled comedian who has her own role to work through, this colour-coded caper, with clever costuming by Rose Tavormina (The Three Ships Collective/Soup Can Theatre’s A Christmas Carol), keeps us happily tuned in and fully engaged.
Each performance, the phenomenally gifted improv crew of actors, namely Kristopher Bowman (Shaw’s Witness for the Prosecution); Cosette Derome (Shaw’s Snow in Midsummer); Sochi Fried (Crow’s Wights); Virgilia Griffith (Crow’s Rosmersholm); Martin Happer (Shaw’s One Man, Two Guvnors); Bruce Horak (Shaw’s Wait Until Dark), draws from a hat at the end of the previous show, to find out which part they are going to play next time. It’s a random gender-blind recasting that gives the piece an endless revolving rotation of parts and possibilities. As lovers and friends come to life and interact, the performances escalate to the highest levels of comedy, ensuring each show remains a fresh, hilarious, and unpredictable experience.
Two of the characters are steadfastly and consistently played by the same actors; Northan (Spontaneous’s Blind Date) and Travis Seetoo (Shaw’s Roll of Shaw), who help usher in and inform the nightly rookie detective plucked from the audience within the first scene of the show. Whoever it is, this brave volunteer is brought up on stage and walked through with loving care by the clever captain Northan. Northan informs the willing participant of the role they are going to play – a newly hired detective being sent out on their first day to a remote island to go undercover and solve a murder that took place last summer. It seems that a crew of friends has come together on the island’s hotel every year for the past few years, but last year, one of them died from what they all thought was a heart attack. But it now becomes crystal clear that it was murder, a deliberate poisoning, and this newly badged detective will have to risk life and limb to find out whodunit. Well, maybe not life and limb, but as the lead detective on this case, all eyes are on them from start to finish.
The lead-in is everything, playing and poking at the setup with care and an endless supply of well earned laughs. Our detective quickly finds themselves heading out to the island with their trusted confidante (Seetoo) by their side. He is the innkeeper’s nephew, who wasn’t on the island the summer when the murder took place. A good point to hold on to in regard to the idea of ‘opportunity’. But the thing is, he is also well acquainted with this particular group of guests who have all gathered together again. Yet this time, their meeting is for a memorial service for the dearly departed, and Seetoo’s character clearly has a soft spot in his heart for the deceased. So be alert to all, and pay close attention.
Ushered forth on a very familiar set recreated by Judith Bowden (Shaw’s Tons of Money), Murder-on-the-Lake is as fresh as the water that surrounds the island. With sharp, improvised lighting, designed effectively by Jeff Pybus (Shaw’s Dear Liar), the delightful improvisation drives forward with assured glee, giving guidance and smart asides (and phone calls when needed) that help create the most inviting crime scene and investigation that a fresh-faced detective could have on their first day with a badge. And it couldn’t be funnier.
While the humour of the piece often lies in the hands of the brave soul that takes to the stage each night, fortunately, that non-professional is forever surrounded and guided by improv masters who are there to assist. They each, in turn, find endless ways to steer this new detective towards ‘bloody book’ clues while also minting laughs from loving lines delivered, not once at the detective’s expense. On the day I attended, our guy was a superbly game and dryly funny gentleman, gifting the crew of actors plenty of opportunities for playful prompts and asides that had us rolling in the aisles with laughter—while the crew found miraculous ways and means to guide him most kindly through the paces required. “You are weirdly calm,” they noted to our fledgling detective, repeatedly, as he navigated his way through a parade of suspicious behaviours and bizarre weaponry that moved around the space like a wildly fun game of Clue.
Who did it and where? And how? But possibly more important – ‘Why?‘ as we follow him breathlessly (and hilariously) through the discovery game of ‘MOM‘ (means, opportunity, motive). The cast of Murder-on-the-Lake proves themselves master sleuths of improv comedy, ingeniously guiding each brave volunteer-detective through twists, turns, and a doctor’s medical bag full of laughs. Ingeniously steering and prompting the piece toward its conclusion, our astute detective is eventually required to name names, means, opportunity, and—perhaps most importantly—the motive for the crime. Were we lucky to have such a dryly funny volunteer? Possibly, but anyone brave enough to step on stage with these improv pros will find themselves in excellent hands.
So we all dive in happily, knowing that each performance unveils a brand-new way of moving through this well constructed murder mystery brimming with cheeky charm, razor-sharp wit, and just enough danger to keep us on the edge of our seats. It’s part improv spectacle, part game of Clue, and entirely irresistible. Whether you’re a willing gumshoe or a gleeful bystander, you’ll leave the Royal George Theatre grinning, guessing, and maybe even plotting your detective return to the scene of the crime.
