EDINBURGH 2023: Review: CSI: CRIME SCENE IMPROVISATION, Underbelly, Bristo Square, Ermintrude

The concept of CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation is quite simple. A murder has taken place, and it is up to the audience to not only catch the killer but also to create the crime scene themselves, setting the scene for the actors. 

One of the actors writes the victim’s name, their job, and the weapon that killed them on a whiteboard. Based on audience suggestions, we began to come up with a case. Our victim? Destiny Windsor, an aquarium cleaner, tragically killed by a scaffold pole. The audience was named Detective Brian, the main inspector was named Inspector May (a possible Queen reference? If so, kudos for the quick thinking!) and we were off!

It is certainly possible that I was at the show in which some of the actors were having an off day, but it was a bit disappointing to see how out of sync they were after having heard praise for their synchronicity. There was very little chemistry between the cast members who seemed to have each come up with their own plot line and were sticking with it regardless of the situations that arose, leading to many awkward pauses throughout. The audience was also quite dead, pun fully intended. Michael Kunze was the highlight of the show, keeping it together as other actors seemed to go off on tangents. 

The most disappointing aspect of the show is its ending, in which there is a Q&A with the suspects and then the audience determines who the killer is by cheering for their chosen suspect. The actors then only have seconds to improvise their reactions to the reveal, which could have been more effective if there had been an established killer throughout. I have seen similar shows use cards in envelopes to determine who the murderer is at the beginning of each show, which makes for some fantastic reveals and doesn’t let the audience simply choose who the killer is through cheers. 

Ultimately, CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation has an interesting concept, but on the day I saw it the show struggled to be engaging and amusing. I would have loved to see the actors work together as a group instead of going on their own separate tangents, leading to confusion and very little focus on the actual murder itself. 

CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation ran at Underbelly, Bristo Square, Ermintrude.

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