By Katie Isham.
Billed as Agatha Christie meets Fawlty Towers, Murder at the Manor sounded intriguing from the outset. The content warning in the foyer heralded flashing lights, sudden loud noises and strong language. A typical Friday night in Winchester then…
It also listed two words sure to strike fear into the heart of many: audience participation. However, this show is silly, funny and definitely worth participating in. Don’t worry though, you’ll boo and cheer more at a panto. Hecklers seem to be encouraged and there was plenty to get involved in. It was clear to see how it originated at the Brighton Fringe Festival; since then, Murderers Anonymous have toured the country, finally making their way to The Arc in Winchester.
On Friday night (10/7/26), we took our seats ready to play detective in this slapstick play. The characters walked in straight off the Cluedo board. All the caricatures present: an eyebrow gymnast of a detective; a rich, pompous patriarch; a French maid with some of the most hilarious exclamatives (supermarché!); a downtrodden butler and a reveal of an identical twin… dun dun dunnnnn!
The play swiftly weaves the stereotypes into characters worthy of your time and more than capable of eliciting laughs. Many of the audience were cackling throughout with much innuendo and some toilet humour.
There was also joy from the physical comedy of the talented actors who threw themselves into the cheesy situations with gusto. Yet the funniest beats came in the tongue-in-cheek moments when the characters gave a knowing nod to us as audience: you’ll never see a more ingenious way to move a ‘dead body’ off stage.
By the second act, all the characters hit their stride and drew more laughter as the tension mounted. Every time the detective made a point, the swish of the trench coat got stronger. Everyone escalated in their motives and suspicions.
More than anything, this is a play that revels in the joy of silliness. You want a sub-plot of a dead guinea pig? You got it. You want a man in tiny white shorts promising to drink pina coladas in Malibu (twice)? You got it. You want a recurring hat gag? You got it. Even when some of the set pieces went wrong, we all laughed along.
By the time we had to vote for our prime suspect (minor participation), we were all invested and dying to discover the denouement.
Obviously, I won’t spoil the ending but it’s as silly, farcical and as satisfying as you’d hope. It was way over the top and eye-rollingly absurd, but The Murders Anonymous theatre group represent all that is good with theatre. It’s clear to see how much heart and humour has gone into this production. In a world of trips to the theatre that cost more than a night in a hotel, it’s good to see an affordable night out that brings hilarity and daftness to our lives. This type of immersive silliness is good for the soul and great for the lifeblood of local theatres.
Pop along to find out whodunnit at the second (and final) show tonight (11/7/26).
- For tickets and more information, visit arcwinchester.org.uk/event/murder-manor
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