Gig review by Steve Bennett at the Brighton Fringe

Country house murder-mysteries have been pastiched for so long that it’s hard to remember they were once a real genre. 

Now throwing their dapper period hats into the crowded ring are Tyler Harding and Jacob Lovick, whose Murdered By Murder involves the expected cast of eccentric characters all with secrets to hide. They gather at Drenchblood Heights, the vast country pile of Lord Titan, on Christmas Eve 1934, where one is duly bumped off. All the guests, of course, have motives, so can the detective Ali Bye (yes really) unmask the killer?

The duo, collectively known as LoveHard, display great skill in bringing their archetypes to life: the pompous bluebloods, the pious vicar, the socialite with unexplained sudden wealth… and a few personalities that are less likely to be found in the pages of Agatha Christie. 

Yet for all their talents the pair also come across as far too pleased with themselves, a certain theatrical smugness pervading their knowing performances and scripted asides to the audience. These are supposed ad-libs, but often seem forced and predictable, such as one of the duo commenting how he insists on doing a joke every performance even though it rarely lands. 

As themselves, the fluidity isn’t  as convincing as it should be – although that’s never an issue as they flip between characters, just a ‘whoosh’ and a change of stance marking the scene changes, simple yet effective.

Then there’s the resolution that delights in being meaningless but is actually pretty frustrating, negating any investment the audience has in the story, and a needless extra layer of plot in which the party had gathered to play a murder-mystery game before the real murder took place, which rather sensibly is largely forgotten.

While the broader script has issues, the dialogue is tight and the characters well-defined and convincing, at least given the two-dimensional world being parodied, and very effectively realised by two strong performers. The clichés of the genre are sent up gleefully, and cheesy gags embraced. But it’s not quite a killer show.

Review date: 29 May 2018
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Brighton Komedia