Review: THE MURDER OF THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD is a Charming Whodunnit at The Masque

The Masque and Cape Town Theatre Company joined forces to bring their adaptation of Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd to the stage, aptly titled THE MURDER OF THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD. The production is adapted by Stephan Fourie and Faeron Wheeler, and Stephan helmed its direction. Staging this play must’ve been a delicious challenge, with its play-within-a-play structure, levels of meta-awareness, and stagecraft surprises. 

The piece is introduced as a community theatre production that goes awry from the very beginning. In reality, some of the cast members are not professionals and the production is in essence a community theatre production. The show makes light of this by presenting it as a play-within-a-play, allowing the production to toy with quintessential community theatre tropes. The show is described in its programme as a “love letter to the tireless contributions to amateur theatre made by those who adore this wonderful and sometimes strange little community”. This certainly rings true in its approach, making it a very endearing watch.

THE MURDER OF THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD is quite reminiscent of the popular THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG but gives it a unique community theatre twist. The show delivers the feel of a cosy mystery and the meta-comedy is the icing on the cake. It is also very appealing visually, with impressive costuming and incredible set pieces that contain a lot of unexpected practical spectacles. 

From the get-go, the plot unfolds with gaffe upon hilarious gaffe. Characters forget their lines, props get misplaced, and eventually, the whole thing starts collapsing (quite literally). It was charming to witness the glee with which some of the actors performed, relishing in the show’s comedy. Some standout performers on our evening were Bernie Jacobs-Gordon as Moira/The Director and Sean Black as Logan/Geoffrey Raymon. Linda Steele as Laura/The Stage Manager also had some memorable highlights, with her character's inadvertent scene-stealing moments.

However, the text is quite dense, with an even more demanding subtext. The production could benefit from some simplifications and editing, and clarifying a sense of logical throughline that is essential to building chaotic comedy. Some of the performers also buckled under the show’s demanding runtime, making some later scenes hazy. Consequently, the story gets lost between the absurdity and frenetic action on stage, and by the end, one feels a bit bewildered. The numerous scene changes also undercut the audience’s focus, and some dramatic clarification would ensure that the audience has a lifeline to hold onto through all the chaos, which will result in a more satisfactory conclusion.

Nevertheless, the production is still highly enjoyable and a great watch for lazy late-afternoon entertainment. The dedication of the cast and creative team is palpable, making it a memorable and charming show. Besides, who does not love a little zany comedy with their whodunnit?

The Murder of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd will perform until 18 November at The Masque. Bookings can be made via Quicket.

Photo: Supplied.

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