Review: LOCOMOTIVE FOR MURDER: THE IMPROVISED WHODUNNIT, Pinch Punch - Liverpool Theatre Festival
Pinch Punch are a London collective of improv actors who are currently touring the United Kingdom with Locomotive For Murder: The Improvised Whodunnit. Ahead of their stint at the Edinburgh Fringe and having played at London’s Vault Festival, the locomotive has arrived in Liverpool as part of the city’s theatre festival.
Locomotive For Murder is set on a train in the 1920’s and that’s about as much as the cast and audience know. Four characters board the train but who are they are and why are they there? Audience suggestions are used for the plot, characters and can be as outrageous as we liked. Detective Miss Marbles engages with the audience in order to facilitate our story and immediately puts the audience at ease. This show is about the audience laughing and more importantly working together to crack the case.
Miss Marbles sets up our story perfectly as we see the remaining characters shuffle on stage to decide their clothing, props and characters. Within the first few minutes, we are discussing our favourite M&S picky bits, what’s so appealing about Wrexham, a young man’s dream of becoming a footballer and a picture at the Egyptian pyramids gone wrong. These moments and stories are in itself funny and we are yet to ‘officially’ begin the murder mystery.
These stories lead us perfectly into meeting our cast: Mr Ryan Wrexham (a nod to Ryan Reynolds himself) obsessed with everything Welsh and football related, Michael Midfielder, a self proclaimed stupid ex wrestling champion now turned Wrexham FC footballer. Colonel Camping, a posh upper class gentleman who is obsessed with snapping himself at landmarks around the world, and Marga Rita, our Cockney party planner who loves a drink or two. It’s remarkable to think that these characters came from our suggestions and as the play developed, had us crying with laughter. Each actor committed to their chosen character and brought them to life with their hilarious, if questionable at times, accents and nuances.
Throughout the performance, we are reminded of key aspects of our characters’ development so that we are all working together to crack the case. The audience ultimately decides who dies and then it is our job to work out the murderer due to a ‘ticket mix up’ between the remaining three passengers. The structure of the show ensures that each character has ample time to show their improvisation skills including the deceased character, which pleased those audience members who didn’t want their favourite to be our casualty. Flashbacks are used cleverly in order for us to gain an insight into the motives of each of our suspected characters.
Set the in the stunning open-air St Luke’s Bombed Out Church, the pouring rain did little to dampen our spirits. An interesting, simple and clever take on a classic whodunnit, Locomotive For Murder is a ridiculously engaging piece of theatre. We managed to crack the case and Marga Rita was unearthed as the killer after she failed to cover her tracks. The motive? Colonel Camping was about to reveal the biggest secret of them all, that Marga Rita was a tee total competitive Connect 4 player!
The beauty of improvisation is that each performance will be unique and never to be repeated. The possibilities for this show are endless. The cast and creatives continue to create something memorable night after night. You simply have to be there to experience the fun and we would thoroughly recommend a ride on board the Locomotive for Murder.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Jordan Potts
Locomotive for Murder: The Improvised Whodunnit plays at Liverpool Theatre Festival again this evening (27 July) before continuing its tour.