Review: A Curious Demise, The Hen and Chickens Theatre

Camden Fringe really wouldn’t be Camden Fringe without a good dose of improv. It’s almost impossible to not be exposed to one or two improv shows if you happen to spend long enough in one place. And that really is how I found myself watching the seven strong team for A Curious Demise, sandwiched between two other shows in the calendar. 

The big issue with so much improv is that each show is seeking that USP, its unique selling point that will differentiate it from all the others. A Curious Demise starts with a dead body and the cast are then forced to improv their way back in time to work out how the murder came about and by whom. It’s a neat idea on paper but one that feels rather underused once we get into the actual meat of it all.

Of course, every improv show is going to be unique to that performance, so a quick plot rundown isn’t going to tell you what you might get if you go to the show. Today’s murder victim was the King of a small village outside Blackpool, who owned a greengrocers as well as being the local landlord. The many suspects were his two daughters, two tenants and a footballer at the local club along with his coach/ manager/ father. Between them they whisk us through the two weeks leading up to the murder. 

My major issue is that it’s difficult to deduce just what is improvisation and what was pre-scripted. There were only two small elements of audience suggestions called for; where the body was found (the greengrocers) and what he was holding when found (an unopened pepperoni). After that, it was fully down to the cast to build the rest. Which surely leads to the question of, how much was improvised on the hoof, and how much did they prepare. It seemed as if once we were taken back in time, the opening scene of the soon-to-be murder victim with his daughter discussing his upcoming 50^th was already planned. And this feeling that the basic scenarios were half planned lingers a little too much to feel like this is fully improvised. Now I may be doing them a complete disservice with this suggestion, but with so little audience input to set them off, it does leave some doubt. 

Of course, the improv is clear as random ideas are thrown in to the mix, and there are some lovely callbacks to previous slip of the tongues or throwaway comments which do offer plenty of amusement. There’s also a wonderful scene where the full cast are on stage but in four different scenes at once, again demonstrating skill in knowing when to stop and allow others to speak. But it’s not enough to really feel fully immersed in the improv. 

As we reach the conclusion and the murderer is revealed, it feels underwhelming, forced in as they watch the clock to know it’s time to wrap things up. It leaves that USP feeling rather under-developed. 

With so much improv on offer at Camden Fringe and throughout fringe venues all year, shows do need to offer something different to stand out. A Curious Demise on paper looks to have just that but in reality, it’s just a little underwhelming.

Devised by Curious Planet

A Curious Demise plays again on Saturday 15 August for Camden Fringe.