An endearing, whirlwind tour of the murder mystery genre, this is a delightfully entertaining show. Interspersed with Tim Benzie’s own history of growing up with and around murder mysteries (and the reasons for that), Benzie as the host, is both cheeky and charming. He is clearly a great lover of the murder mystery and has a cornucopia of facts to entertain the audience.
What shines through with this show is Benzie’s extensive knowledge of the murder mystery genre, particularly of the Cozy Crime era of 1920s-1950s, and the rules of writing within the genre. He educates us on the different types of sub-genres and the origin of well know phrases that have become part of our culture, without us necessarily knowing the original basis for those phrases. He uses the premise of the Cluedo board rooms to explain common murder mystery tropes. This is where Benzie’s strength lies: in his vast knowledge and passion for the murder mystery. The packed house indicated that he was not alone in his love for the genre.
The personalisation within the show comes from Benzie gently but honestly discussing the challenges of realising his sexuality, and the escape that the novels gave him. What does not quite work is when Benzie uses a fictional murder to engage the audience, who themselves become the participants of the mystery. It felt like more could have been done to include this, as it was only briefly touched on, nor did the theatricality of the show always land. These are only small niggles however. Benzie is an engaging and very watchable character, and you will leave knowing much more about murder mysteries than you might have expected.
Benzie has another show this Fringe, Solve Along a Murder She Wrote, at theSpace @ Symposium Hall at 20:15, same dates as below.
Show Time: 5-10, 12-17, 19-24 Aug @ 13:40
theSpace @ SurgeonsHall
Ticket Prices: £8 (£7)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/it-s-a-mystery
Wheelchair access type: Level Access; Wheelchair Accessible Toilets; Temporary Ramp, Lift (Building Lift); Stairs: Information not supplied; Age: 16+ (Guideline)