Katie Barr
Bagshot house is not a place for peace and quiet. Whenever Inspector Pratt shows up, you can be sure of at least two things: a murder will take place (probably more than one) and the ensuing investigation will be more farce than finesse. Death by Fatal Murder – a comedic whodunit by Peter Gordon – proudly delivers both in abundance.
By arrangement with Joseph Weinberger, this is the first in the trilogy of Gordan’s ‘Pratt’ plays, and it introduces audiences to a world where mystery novels meet slapstick comedy head on. Our bumbling hero, Inspector Pratt, is at Bagshot house, joined by the ever helpful Miss Maple, and Constable Thomkins, whose efforts to maintain order are as shaky as Pratt’s grasp of investigative procedure. Also thrown into the mix are upper-class Ginny, an Italian charmer named Enzo, and perhaps most unpredictably, the Welsh clairvoyant Blodwyn Morgan, whose arrival sets the scene for yet more chaotic twists.
The first half hour sparkles with the kind of ridiculous misunderstandings that make farce so fun…
From the very first minutes, the play leans hard into wordplay and deliberate verbal blunders. Pratt’s unique gift for misusing the English language gets some of the biggest laughs of the night. At first, these malapropisms and muddled sentences feel fresh and clever, earning a warn response from the audience. The first half hour sparkles with the kind of ridiculous misunderstandings that make farce so fun: mistaken identities, wrong doors opening, and a sprinkling of innuendo.
But after that promising opening, the repetition begins to show. The same joke structure appears again and again. While this is very much the character’s shtick, the punchlines lose some of their impact the fourth or fifth time round. That’s not to say it stops being amusing altogether, but I found myself wishing for a few fresh comedic beats to break up the rhythm.
There’s a larger than life quality to the delivery that keeps the tone buoyant even when the plot starts tying itself in knots.
Performance-wise, the cast brought plenty of energy and commitment. “Dramatic” is the word that springs to mind. There’s a larger than life quality to the delivery that keeps the tone buoyant even when the plot starts tying itself in knots. And tie itself it does. As the second act unfolded, the central mystery became increasingly tangled. Everyone seemed to have a secret, but not all of those secrets felt relevant to the main thread. The sheer number of subplots occasionally left me scrambling to remember who was in danger and who was just there to confuse matters further.
That said, there’s something charming about watching a cast clearly enjoying themselves on stage. Even when I wasn’t entirely sure where the story was going, their enthusiasm was infectious. They played to the crowd, leaned into the absurdity, and weren’t afraid to dial things up to keep the laughs coming. At times, it also felt like the script was less important than the comic chemistry between the actors – a quality that was rewarded with plenty of chuckles, groans, and the occasional belly laugh from the stalls.
One of the evening’s biggest strengths was its willingness to embrace old-fashioned theatrical humour. The set design was simple but effective, the costumes exaggerated just enough to make a visual joke without becoming cartoonish, and the physical comedy was well-timed. In an era where much comedy aims for sharp cynicism, there’s something refreshingly nostalgic about watching a group of characters dash in and out of doors, narrowly missing one another while trying to solve a murder.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel Death by Fatal Murder might work best in smaller doses. The concept is delightful, but when stretched over two acts, the repeated joke structures and crowded storylines make the humour feel slightly diluted. In short, I enjoyed it, but I enjoyed the first thirty minutes more than the last thirty.
It’s worth noting however, that I was very much in the minority on that front. The rest of the audience laughed heartily throughout, clearly swept up in the silliness of it all. For fans of traditional farce, where plot coherence is secondary to comic momentum, this show is right on target. And as this is only the first in the trilogy, Inspector Pratt’s misadventures at Bagshot house are far from over.
It’s a play where the joy lies not in the resolution of the crime, but in the sheer chaos of getting there.
If you’re after a serious, tightly woven murder mystery, Death by Fatal Murder probably isn’t going to satisfy your inner Poirot. But if you’re in the mood for an evening of harmless nonsense, gleeful overacting, and the kind of humour that relies on timing more than plausibility, then Pratt and company are ready to oblige. It’s a play where the joy lies not in the resolution of the crime, but in the sheer chaos of getting there. If you can embrace the madness, switch off your inner detective, and simply enjoy the absurdity, this offers a cheerfully silly night at the theatre
Katie Barr
Featured image courtesy of Alex Watkin. Permission to use granted to Impact. No changes were made to this image.
In-article images courtesy of Whitefoot Photography. Permission to use granted to Impact. No changes were made to this image.
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