It’s Autumn and it’s time for thrillers. York Theatre Royal are ready with another play by Torben Betts.
By Angie Millard
Photos by Pamela Raith Photography
Following Murder in the Dark, a chiller of 2023 in which a car crash delivered strangers to a lonely cottage, the stage is set for more mysterious happenings.
It is often said of murder mystery as a genre that the formula remains the same. All that is needed is what Alfred Hitchcock called the MacGuffin. This is defined as a causal link between events which keeps the plot moving but is unknown to the audience. In Murder at Midnight this is hard to discover.
The Director, Philip Franks, describes the play as “Feydeau written by Tarantino” which immediately calls to mind the scene in Reservoir Dogs in which a criminal removes someone’s ears while dancing to music. There is nothing quite so bizarrely violent in Murder at Midnight but there are some dramatic twists to catch the audience and surprise them.
All the characters have something to hide. Midnight approaches, the tarot foretells doom, and there is a killer in the house.
To divulge plot details would obviously spoil audience enjoyment but I must say please don’t let the lack of action in the first half spoil your anticipation of the denouement. The piece is relentlessly farcical and unbelievable (as Jonny the chief character says on many occasions) so if the audience relaxes into this situation, they will enjoy themselves.
Jonny is a Cockney gangster and host of this New Year’s Eve party. He is played with urban facility by Jason Durr. Susie Blake as Shirley, his mother, has the funniest lines delivered with the crisp naturalness of a professional, a skill no doubt homed through her work with Victoria Wood. Katie McGlynn plays Jonny’s bimbo of a girlfriend who brings her new boyfriend/disguised policeman Max Bowden into the mix and much use of the multiple settings adds incidental humour.
Naturally, there are accompanying criminals with names like Trainwreck and a side plot of a Romanian carer (Iryna Poplavska) and her felonious friend (Callum Balmforth) who intends to rob the gangster and wears a clown mask – a reference to Shaffer’s Sleuth no doubt.
The set is cleverly designed to incorporate five venues and simultaneous action which always focuses the audience and adds to dramatic tension. I also liked the opening which showed us a police team at the scene of the crime(s) who warned us that a blood bath had taken place creating anticipation.
The audience loved the anarchy and threatened violence which ensued, and it was played for laughs throughout.
However, I couldn’t find a MacGuffin.
Directed by Philip Franks, Murder at Midnight star stage and screen favourites Jason Durr (Heartbeat, Casualty) as Jonny ‘The Cyclops’, Susie Blake (Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV, Coronation Street) as Shirley, Max Bowden (best known for his role as Ben Mitchell in EastEnders) as Paul and Katie McGlynn (Coronation Street, Hollyoaks) as Lisa. They are joined by Callum Balmforth as Russell, Peter Moreton as Trainwreck and Iryna Poplavska as Cristina, with Bella Farr and Andy McLeod as Police Officers/Understudies.
Murder at Midnight is being performed at York Theatre Royal until 25 October 2025.