Bloody Murder (Canberra REP) - Review

One wasn’t enough this week; got off me arse and went to see Bloody Murder from the fine folks over at Canberra REP. This was the second time this week I got to laugh like an idiot at a show, put on by folks who were clearly having just as much fun as I was.

Murder mysteries are really tough to write about without giving away; a lot of what makes this show brilliant is how the elements of this show’s plot, and the bent it takes both show and cast on, are brought to life by the team here. But ruin it I will not! You’ll have to see it yourself.

Director Josh Wiseman has prepared a lavishly furnished production Bloody Murder. It is a “murder mystery gone wrong”, and I’m not talking about actors forgetting lines or sets malfunctioning; the very tangibility of and control over this mystery is wrestled for between character and writer, and Wiseman brilliantly brings it before us to uproarious success. I always like to nitpick things directors do that I like in particular, and Wiseman’s ability to purposefully place characters in still positions without rendering the moment dull fascinated me from minute one. Everyone’s doing something; not a single thumb twiddler among ‘em. Absolutely loved to see it.

And oh how I love me a REP cast that knows what they’re in and how to revel in it. Antonia Kitzel is a joy as the defiant Lady Somerset. Her laughable dedication and consistent plotting kept the play on track, with an especially hilarious revelatory panic towards the end that I shant spoil. Steph Roberts as ever dutiful maid Jane is fittingly droll and yet simultaneously larger than life; she makes dusting a wall a highlight of the show. Holly Ross gives a fantastic turn as both nervous do-gooder Emma Reese and the hilariously accented Countess, stealing many a laugh left right and centre. Azza McKenna as the Major fits the stereotype to a tee, adding just the right amount of his own exceptional comic chops to truly elevate the character beyond the cliché, while keeping the act up. Stuart Roberts gives perhaps my favourite performance of the lot as Devon Tremaine, switching between his pompous, fallen-from-grace high-class persona to dismissively fed-up and appropriately sardonic drunkard in mere instants. He is insanely fun to watch. And rounding out the cast, Glenn Brighenti brings to life the phenomenally irritating Charles in often comical fashion, his quick quips and heckler’s jabs both missing and hitting where they ought to. It’s an exceptional ensemble, and it’s hard to imagine how any of them could have done better. A genuinely perfect cast.

Sound designer Neville Pye provides excellently ambient sound throughout the entire show. The creaking of doors, the crackly tunes of the gramophone, and the numerous dramatic music cues are executed with precision and panache. Nathan Sciberras’ lighting is suitably deceptive in its complication, and equally as well timed. The environments of sound and light were exceptionally well communicated and anticipated.

Costume designer Suzan Cooper provides suitable garments for the cast, keeping them all distinct, yet fitting them in with both each other and the luxurious set, designed by Wiseman and coordinated by the ever brilliant Russell Brown OAM. I’m a sucker for “interactive set that looks like the inside of an actual room in an actual house”, and both Wiseman and Brown’s work consistently pleased.

Whether you’re a fan of the genre, or you’re sick of it, you’d best be going along to it. The direction is precise, the cast are superb, and every other artistic element at play is presented by some of the very best to ever do it.

As Wiseman mentioned in his Director’s Notes, “it’s always a bloody good time with a bit of Bloody Murder”!

Moron (right), accompanied by two others, attending Bloody Murder.