Performed by Impro Melbourne & Paternoster Theatre Just when you thought you had seen every possible Impro format, along comes a new one courtesy of the Paternoster Theatre Company of Berlin. The “Improvised Murder Mystery” is a popular show in Germany and it was now Australia’s chance to experience it. Urban, Kjel and Tobias were joined by some of the Impro Melbourne regulars to perform a show entitled “Til Death Us Do Part”.
Originally this show was advertised as being set at a wedding, hence the title. This was abandoned somewhere along the line, the setting of the murder was instead left to audience suggestion, increasing the possibilities of the show.
Upon entering, the audience were invited to write a method of death on a slip of paper. At the start of the show, we were prompted for details of the victim (in this case it was Cecilia Banks, Accountant by day, Stripper by night). The first few scenes were then played out describing the victim and her relationship to three suspects, the details of which were improvised by the performers. In this case, we had her husband George (an immigrant who married her for a Visa & their marriage was on shaky ground), John Lithgow the Politician (who was being blackmailed by Cecilia) and her sister Patricia (a Bible basher who discovered that Cecilia was stealing money from their Mother).
The story was paused while three random objects were obtained from the audience (the items offered up were a blue hat, a glasses case and a Gummi Worm). These items were processed as part of the crime scene by the wacky CSI staff in the following scene. It was also at this point that the cause of death was drawn from the “Bowl of Inspiration” and the location of the body was suggested (in the left eye of the Luna Park Entrance Face). Each actor playing a suspect was randomly issued an envelope containing whether their character was guilty or not. The envelopes were sealed and were guarded by a punter who seemed trustworthy. The suspects would play out the rest of the show only knowing their own guilt and were to drop subtle hints using the clues, while everyone else tried to figure out the culprit.
Next we were introduced to the Detective (Fritz Speck of Berlin Vice) and his assistant (“26” from Australian Immigration). The next scenes involved the interviewing of suspects and the aftermath of the victim’s death amongst the characters. With a show this involved, there was a lot of information for both the performers and audience to keep track of. Thankfully, a stenographer was on hand to list all the details.
An interval was included in which in addition to a chance to empty and/or fill your bladder, we were invited to make a guess as to whom we thought was guilty. Names were placed into a corresponding jar for a chance to win a prize (a candlelit dinner which turned out to be a frozen meal with a tealight candle!).
The first scene after interval was a press conference where punters assumed the role of journalists interviewing the CSI, the detective and his assistant. This section didn’t add anything to the actual story but was an amusing part of the show with it’s ridiculous questions and equally ridiculous answers.
The show continued on with further interaction between the characters, including plenty of plot twists. This continued until the final reveal of whom the Detective believed to be the killer. A short scene was played out for each suspect ala TV’s CSI, showing how the murder may have occurred. Detective Fritz declared that the sister Patricia was the murderer. The actual guilty party was revealed in the final scene by the CSI. They used the sealed envelopes as if they contained DNA results of each suspect. The final result being that it was indeed the sister and a lucky punter claimed their prize.
The Australian performers handled the new format well. Our German guests occasionally stumbled upon several pieces of Aussie slang during the show, but were able to make a joke about it while remaining in character. Overall it was a different and fun show that is worth checking out when Impro Melbourne decide to stage it again.
If you need some improvised entertainment in the meantime, the team at Impro Melbourne will be involved in two comedy festival shows. The annual edition of Celebrity Theatresports (check out Celebrity Theatresports for details) and a season of Late Night Impro (Click away at Late Night Impro) will satisfy your impro needs.