This was so fun, SO FUN! It was basically like a brilliantly comedic version of a real life Cludeo game. So much cleverness.
The review was originally posted on Arts on the AU.
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Sometimes you can just tell from the pre-show crowd that something is going to be great. Walking up The Annex stairs to be greeted by a large excitable chattering crowd of people milling around awaiting the performance certainly starts you thinking that you’re going to enjoy this one.
A Crow Short Of A Murder is a brilliant combination of clever scriptwriting, intriguing plot, witty humour and just really really good character acting.
The cast of 13 create these unique and immensely believable characters, pulling you into their “Who dunnit?” mystery and keep you guessing all the way to the “A ha!”. There is a mix of fantastic accents and mannerisms that gives you a keen sense of the character they’re portraying. It’s almost like watching a live game of very amusing Cluedo!
Even the set changes are done by stagehands that have their own little character flairs and all these small details, combined with the fantastic humour in the writing, make this a play that is just really enjoyable to watch.
Notable mentions of hilarity go to the Count and Groundskeeper with their cane and their cabbages and their Shakespeare and their hippos and their “DEAR GOD THIS IS APPLE JUICE”, to the Rabbi-Monk-Priest for his accepting religious outlook and the inventiveness of his confessional box, to the Chief of POLICE because he is the Chief of POLICE and manages to still move whilst “all time seems to be broken!!?!”, and also to our Butler twins played by the single actor- as you say, “acting” *terse nod*.
At an hour and a half the time just soars by and the crowd begins to exit the theatre, feeling rather exhausted at having just laughed out loud for almost the entire time and happily sharing revelations with their companions- (overheard) “that was brilliant!”.
I did wonder though… The Butcher?
DASMUSICALKAT 