People Show 121: The Detective Show

For its 121st production, experimental theatre company People Show gives the detective genre a thorough deconstruction, interrogating it with a deck of Cluedo cards like the murder suspect does in its opening scene. 

Before this, pompous actor, director, writer—and a thousand other listed Saturday jobs and dubious accomplishments—Gareth Brierley meticulously shreds each of the flyer blurb’s claims. He is the murderer of suspended disbelief as well as playing the chief suspect.

Indeed throughout the play the fourth wall is broken so often it’s remarkable it still stands to have DNA samples picked off it. The comedy is as much about the actors’ petty conflicts as who killed the beautiful Agatha Christie Tour Guide. But these prove more predictable than the play within playful play. Christie’s autobiography is a thinly disguised Yellow Pages and an MI6 ID is a Tesco ClubCard. 

Silliness prevails with a self-conscious wink at the detective, detective novel and audience, who tend to be as mystified by digressions to 9/11 or Bob Dylan as they are by the whodunnit. 

Gags are hit and miss. Scenes start straight then careen unsteadily into farce. Poirot appears as a mime with a paper bag on his head, Hitler as a used monogrammed condom, and a seagull in a salad is the elephant in the room. 

Originality may be the real killer of The Detective Show’s coherence but this shouldn’t affect enjoyment of the wacky jaunt overmuch.