Wanted for Murder | InsideOutside Theatre Company

Directed by Sandra Harman, Wanted! For Murder is a charming dinner-theatre cabaret by InsideOutside Theatre Company that askes the audience to solve the murder of one Fifi Du Barry (Evie Ford). The work was staged in the basement space of Paddington’s Fritzenberger, a performance venue that somehow swooped under my radar. It is a gorgeous space, set with a bar and cabaret tables, creating a retro ambience.

Written by Angela Witcher, the first act of the musical featured a jukebox musical set in the Wild, Wild West featuring flamboyant cowboys, saloons, gun fights and even a sheriff. Yeehah!

In the second act of the show, the audience is handed a clue pack and have an opportunity to question each suspect about their whereabouts the night of the gruesome murder and their relationship to the suspect.

It’s not every performance that you get thrown headfirst into the characters’ world and get an insight into their motivations and I enjoyed it immensely. Truth be told, I got quite a thrill putting my detective hat on. Maybe a little bit too much.

Once we’d completed our answer sheets and chosen the murderer, we had the sit tight and wait for the answer sheets to be marked; not too dissimilar to what we had to do in high school.

Reflecting on the show while we waited for the results, a few more runs could bring some polish to the show. There were a few technical mishaps, the script still need some refinement and some more work bringing consistency to the performers’ accents. Overall though, the actors were tight and the show was entertaining, particularly the immersive elements.

When the murder was revealed, I unfortunately found out that I am no Nancy Drew as the murderer I selected wasn’t even close. However, I did win an encouragement award for my effort, as my reasoning for the incorrect murderer was quite extensive. An award which, once again, gave me major high school déjà vu.

I wonder who will be wanted for murder next…