Pop Culture Advent 2023: Door 20
Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote
Writing for theatre means I have to see an awful lot of theatre, and unfortunately, that can leave me a bit jaded.
However, thanks to a birthday present from one of the best people in my life, Jennifer Surtees, I finally saw Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote, which turned out to be one of the most fun nights I’ve had the theatre in a long time.
For those too young to remember, Murder She Wrote was a show that ran from 1984–1996, and starred musical theatre star (and voice of the teapot in 1991's Beauty and the Beast), Angela Lansbury. She played writer Jessica Fletcher, a writer and amateur detective, who (a bit like Miss Marple) had the uncanny knack of being in the same place where murder tended to happen.
Today the show would perhaps be labelled as ‘cosy crime’. But to do so, would be a massive disservice. Murder She Wrote played a huge part in the televisual landscape through out the 80s/early 90s, and has continued to live on through many repeated showings since.
So it’s completely right that Murder She Wrote gets a theatrical love letter devoted to it. Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote is the creation of Writer/Director and self-confessed ‘Fangela’ (Fan of Angela Lansbury), the utterly delightful Tim Benzie.
The evening involves showing the audience an episode of the show. The one we saw was Sing a Song of Murder where Jessica visits London, when she hears her cousin Emma, a famous theatre actress (also played by Lansbury), has been murdered. Benzie splits the episode into sections, broken up with guessing games, fun facts, and of course — getting us to solve the murder which took place in the episode.
Tim Benzie is an absolutely hilarious and engaging host. This is demonstrated in how accessible he makes the evening. Whether you’ve seen every episode of Murder She Wrote, or are a complete newbie, you will have a blast.
In fact, Jenny and I are booked to go again next year! The same episode is never shown at the same venue twice, so I’m looking forward to solving a new mystery.
Further information, including tour dates, can be found on the show’s website. Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote can also be found on instagram.