All aboard for a great afternoon of family entertainment!
With only the loose premise of five characters – one of whom is a detective – going on a train journey and no other detailed script, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the cast of Pinch Punch’s Locomotive For Murder would be gibbering wrecks. On the contrary, they opened the performance with an energy and enthusiasm that is infectious. We quickly learnt that we, the audience, will be responsible for the all-important detail of the plot, the murder victim, and identifying the murderer themselves.
What followed was a slick, quick-witted and highly intelligent take on the whodunnit genre where it was almost impossible to tell that the content was improvised. Pinch Punch delivered a vast array of characters, scenarios and accents in lightning quick time and with exceptional skill.
We were mesmerised as each performer weaved in audience suggestions to their ever-deepening characterisation and plot, even managing to sing in unison and deliver a series of intertwined speeches, showing their mastery in improvisation and comic timing. It’s clear the performers were having as much fun as the audience as we saw them look on with delight at the back of the stage as other characters took on challenges from the audience.
Between them, Pinch Punch managed to take a box of clothes and generate a comprehensive narrative that was confident, pacy and utterly convincing. We didn’t get the murderer right, but that made it even more fun.
Locomotive For Murder may have set off for its next stop (Fareham), but we’d recommend a trip over to Brighton Open Air Theatre to see some of their other shows as they’ve scheduled an incredible line-up this season.
