Murder at the Fringe 1
★★★☆☆ Entertaining
Braw Venues @ Grand Lodge (Venue 7a): Fri 1st-Sun 24th Aug 2025
Review by Eilidh Sim
Murder at the Fringe 1 presented by Edinburgh Little Theatre and featured at Braw’s George Street venue in the Grand Lodge, is a puzzling, interactive whodunnit.
The production, directed by Paul Murray, who also plays Inspector Drew Peacock, is set in the studio of John Winner who has been found dead in the very room where the investigation takes place.
Paul Murray and Torya Winters. Pic: Torya Winters.
Audience participation is essential as Inspector Peacock needs assistance in interviewing suspects and uncovering the killer, who he believes has motives of money as Winner is a recent lottery winner.
Despite being set in a glamorous study, the set remains minimal throughout the play. However, Murray uses the staging effectively, with a chair placed in the middle to act as a place of interrogation. The many props, used throughout, act as clues, while notepads are left on the audience’s chairs to make their own notes as they attempt to identify the culprit.
Paul Murray is an engaging Inspector Drew Peacock, brings the suspects one by one to question. Each is asked about their relationship to the deceased, then responds to questions by both the Inspector and the audience.
Nominative determinism
The suspects explain themselves against the accusations – Winner’s butler and childhood friend Frank Williams (Paul Wilson); alluring girlfriend Josephine Palmer (Torya Winters) and ominously religious sister Mary Church (Norma Brown). The deceitful finance advisor Vernon Rich (Lee Ian Moffat), estranged wife Joan Winner (Hazel Murray), and finally the local Tory MP Lord Algernon Smallpiece (Alan Ireby) who has been helping Winner climb the social ladder.
Paul Wilson, Torya Winters, Paul Murray, Norma Brown, Lee Ian Moffat, Hazel Murray and Alan Ireby. Pic: Torya Winters.
The suspects are believable, answering in character to questions scripted or unscripted from the audience. However, some dialogue gets lost as characters often talk over and argue with each other. There are a couple of moments where, upon explaining their relationship to the victim, the suspects are sat in the chair reciting the dialogue instead of acting it out as the character.
rushed
The end of the performance does feel rushed, however. After questioning each character and discussing different suspicions with the audience, the Inspector simply brings in the other characters. He then reveals the murderer – without any one character ever being decided on or even accused.
Nevertheless it is an entertaining and engaging production. A longer performance slot would allow it to become an even more excellent piece of interactive theatre.
Running time: One hour and 15 minutes (no interval).
Braw Venues @ Grand Lodge (Committee Room), Freemason’s Hall, 96 George St, EH2 3DH (Venue 7).
Friday 1 – Sunday 24 August 2025.
Daily: 2.50pm.
Tickets and details: Book here on EdFringe.com.
Braw Venues website: www.brawvenues.com
Edinburgh Little Theatre website: www.edinburghlittletheatre.com
Paul Wilson. Pic: Torya Winters.
ENDS
