EDINBURGH 2023: Review: A HIGHLY SUSPECT MURDER MYSTERY, TheSpace @ Surgeons' Hall

If, like me, you’re wary of revisiting the dubious murder-mystery dinner parties of the 80s–00s, fear not. These two shows from the Highly Suspect team are not only great fun, but also sophisticated puzzles, charismatically performed.

Murder on the Disorient Express (as may be predicted) takes Agatha Christie’s works as its basis. The tale starts with an immediate twist, though: it’s the celebrity sleuth, Hercules Pinot himself, who’s been found dead – shot, stabbed, strangled, beaten and drowned in his compartment.

In Murder at the Movies, meanwhile, golden-age Hollywood is shaken by two deaths on the set of Back with the Breeze (the not-so-long-awaited sequel to Gone with the Wind). In this story of scandal, secrets and family friction, two stars in turns are found dead in seemingly impermeable locked rooms. 

To solve each baffling case, after statements by the appropriately highly suspect protagonists, the audience is recruited and handed dossiers to peruse. Within are ciphers, cryptic clues and background information, ranging in complexity sufficiently to engage hard-boiled crime fans and junior detectives alike. These materials are a substantial part of what really sets the show apart from similar iterations of the format: they’re just so engagingly detailed – and reward fans of the source material with subtle references. (There's a lot to take in, though, so put some trust in teamwork.)

Solving the cases’ peripheral and central puzzles, although not simple, is also satisfyingly achievable. All the clues necessary for finding the solution are present, and the characters are also on hand to coax sleuths gently in helpful directions of thought. 

If puns aren’t your thing, prepare to roll your eyes (and to ignore the limerick challenges!). Puns are, however, an unflagging delight for me almost as much as are cunning clues. Both are proffered liberally, in a glorious gamut from subtly nuanced to worthy of the most satisfying groan of understanding. 

Although the format persists between the two plots, rest assured that the overlap ends there. It’s a joy to witness both, not only in a quest for more puzzles but also to enjoy the cast’s regeneration into new personas. In what’s often a minefield of mediocre mystery show-games, these two really are safe havens: you can prepare to have your funny bones and little grey cells equally tickled (twice!).

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