Tim Norton and Jo Billington’s pastiche of 1920s British murder mysteries features a company of well over 20 cramming into a very small stage. A High Court Judge is found murdered in the library of his Hampstead home and in steps a bungling Scotland Yard detective, followed quickly by a suave (and gay) private investigator. The writers direct the piece themselves, marshalling the performers with impressive precision and carrying it through at a breathless pace. The only quibble is that they overdo the jokiness, unnecessary in a genre that, to a modern audience, is already a pastiche of itself. The play could have been a lot more entertaining and funnier if it had taken itself more seriously.
Performance date:19 August 2015
The Beast's Pen 