The Great Murder Mystery Review

Samuel Collings as Sherlock Holmes in The Great Murder Mystery

The Great Murder Mystery is indulgent yet delectable as The Lost Estate's latest theatrical feat.

It's fair to say that London has been going through somewhat of an 'immersive theatre renaissance' - from productions such as Punchdrunk's The Burnt City and Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds to experiences like Monopoly Lifesized and Phantom Peak. The capital's theatregoers are spoilt for choice with a range of theatrical styles to choose from each evening, and The Lost Estate are paving the way with their own genre of immersive theatre.

The experience opens an hour before any theatrics start, with the production inviting you in from 6pm to take in your surroundings, enjoy a cocktail, and prepare for a night of sleuthing. As soon as you enter the large dining hall, you are transported back to the familiar world of Holmes' London. Tom Shannon's (Vaults) set design is detailed and provoking, whilst effectively simple in its layout. The hour beforehand is by no means necessary but is a nice touch for people wanting to immerse fully in their experience, or perhaps not wanting to wait around after work - besides, you won't be going for a pre-show dinner.

At 7pm, the food is served. Slightly underwhelming in portion size perhaps, but tasty nonetheless, and served by a team of waiters that are committed to their worldbuilding and high service standards. Then before you know it there are two actors in the middle of the room and the real show begins.

The Great Murder Mystery is Kate Ferguson's take on Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles, updated in its script and content but still classic in its setting and style. The pacing of Ferguson's script starts slow, with a big beginning and then a somewhat stagnant 'Act One', but it does pick up as the performance goes on. Ferguson is clever in how she integrates the audience, who sit surrounding the main performance space. We are not an unwitting audience here for a night of entertainment, we are invited press, judges, and upper echelons waiting with bated breath to hear the explanation of Sherlock Holmes' latest triumph. Ferguson's show-within-a-show effectively integrates the breaks between acts for further courses to come out. Our only other wish with Ferguson's script was that we'd hoped to be left with a clue, a piece of the puzzle, for us to pick at over our next delicious course.

But after the mains, the show carries on and what really sings is Simon Pittman's ingenious direction and use of space. There is a large performance area in the centre of the room, with a few other main spots of action dotted at the four compass points of the dining hall. Pittman uses the space well, with the cast generally always in view - I was positioned with my back to the main stage, and whilst there were moments where I wished the action wasn't happening directly behind me, there was generally always something to see - quite often the actors can be seen weaving around tables and shouting across the venue. Perhaps there could be a way to ensure those tables against the main thrust aren't completely blocked from the action, but I understand that at dinner you may not want to sit in tandem with your date.

It's also worth noting that there is very minimal audience interaction, and when there is you are not expected to reply. I received a handshake and an "it's nice to see you again, Andrew" from Watson before he ventured off to continue the play. I do not know who Andrew is, but I did convince myself I'd be the murderer. Reader, I was not.

There are five actors in the show, all (bar Watson) multi-rolling between a multitude of different characters. Accents and hats galore fly across the venue as cast members disappear from one side and appear as someone else opposite in seconds. The work of the small cast is admirable, with some standout performances from the transformative Samuel Collings (The Girl on the Train) as Sherlock Holmes, Joseph Reed as Stapleton and Ruby Ablett as Beryl and many others. Ablett, Reed, and also Dorcas Stevens, who played the now-female Henri Baskerville (in a fresh and exciting update from Ferguson) took on a large roster of characters with great enthusiasm and skill, but I wondered if an extra hand of one or two additional actors may have alleviated their workload and immersed us audience deeper into the action - there's only so far I can go to suspend the belief of Ablett's sixth, maybe seventh, accent. Just because this talented troupe could, doesn't mean they should.

And it's not like there is any expense spared - the production value of The Great Murder Mystery is big, with ticket prices to match. All around the dining hall sit a huge number of lighting rigs, with innovative lighting design by Peter Small. His use of light, dark, and particularly shadow went a long way to support the essence of Pittman's direction, hide the actors' faces on their thirtieth character, and ingeniously highlight Shannon's designs.

The final cherry on our champagned cheesecake is the score of composer Steffan Rees which runs continuously under the whole performance. Expertly played by a string trio, Rees' score creates mood and atmosphere exceptionally well - heightening emotions, raising questions and hairs, and integrating itself into the drama in ways we will refrain from spoiling. Rees' score is the delightful ribbon that ties the whole evening together.

The Great Murder Mystery is an evening out like we haven't experienced before. Integrating high drama, fine dining and quality service, this isn't just dinner theatre but dinner theatre done very well. It's rich and indulgent, and at times it feels like it knows it, but for the feat it pulls off who can blame The Lost Estate for enjoying themselves? We definitely did.