The Killer Question answered in this funny, inventive mystery

Posted on 8th October 2021

It is always a pleasure and a treat to see new writing performed, and all the more so when the text is as sharp and witty as Dave Payne’s comedy thriller. Payne readily acknowledges a debt to Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, but there were also shades of Anthony Horowitz’s Mindgame or Ira Levin’s Deathtrap in this twisty, turny tale of murder, presented by Just Some Theatre.

The Killer Question was a lot sillier than any of the above, not least as the audience got to decide who played who. One of the all-male cast was therefore always going to draw the short straw, though Peter Stone’s faux indignation fooled no one – he did a marvellous job of portraying Margaret, and clearly relished the task. Picture Alan Bennett in drag, and you’ll be close to Stone’s take on the character. Just as good was Jake Urry, as her husband Walter, who did a fine job as a man double his age, obsessed with the act of murder. Quite different in tone, it would have been fascinating to have taken a peek at them on a night when the roles were reversed. Interesting too, to see what Jordan Moore would have done, unshackled from the role of archetypical police officer. It’s easy to see why they share out the acting honours night by night.

The plot itself was preposterous, but knowingly so. Under the direction of Alyx Tole, and aided and abetted by excellent staging and inventive sound and lighting, the evening zipped along. Hugely entertaining, genuinely intriguing, this was new writing at its most accessible and appealing.