As The Wellingtonista’s resident super-fan of afternoon murder mystery television for old people, I was unbelievably excited to get the chance to see The Mournmoor Murders, Maria Williams and Alice May Connolly’s excellent satire of that whole genre.

And it was fantastic!

Detective Thompson (Williams) and Detective Constable Detective Agent Cooper (Connolly) must unearth dark secrets, solve a murder and deal with their enormous amounts of sexual tension within about 55 minutes.

Playing every single occupant of the town themselves, including the creepy farmer’s prized cow, this show is a wild ride into just how good no-strings theatre can be when there’s talented people at the helm.

From the two Fosse-obsessed community theatre performers, to the pair that run the local Ukefest, to a chain-smoking tie shop owner, and the town’s mayor Jim Shodbolt, each character is distinct and different from the last, and all have a motive for murder. The Mournmoor Murders captures the quintessential Kiwiness of the local murder mystery show scene, and highlights exactly why they’re so enjoyable.

I particularly loved the climax of the show, where two of the suspects (the Fosse twins) perform the closing song of Chicago-Ho-Ho, an abridged rendition of Cell Block Tango, and strut their way through some utterly bizarre and fabulous choreography before being ignominiously hauled off stage by the police.

The Mournmoor Murders is very, very clever, one hell of an experience and it fulfilled my crime show-loving heart. Don’t miss it!

 

This show is being performed at BATS Theatre in Wellington until the 10th of May, 2019. Get your tickets from here!