Low Down

Whodunnit?  That’s your job to figure out in this interactive murder mystery installation, and luckily there’s some chocolate on hand to get your detective juices going. A well-executed and unusual fringe experience, there’s only one thing missing – the answer.

Review

Anyone expecting to sit down and be performed at with a bit of free chocolate on the side will be disappointed – you have to earn your chocolate here! On the other hand, if you’re someone who shouts at detective dramas on TV, this offers the perfect chance to step in and sort out whodunnit yourself. ‘Death by Chocolate’ is an IMMI – an interactive murder mystery installation – although interactive here is almost an understatement.

The ‘audience’ are at detective school, this is their “Real Life Cases” exam, and everyone is given a booklet to fill in with notes on the ‘suspects’ (otherwise known as actors). The ‘performance’ involves the audience questioning the suspects, examining evidence and fuelling their hard-working brains with the ‘study treats’ (otherwise known as chocolate.)

A cast on 10 actors – sorry, suspects – milled about the room, and were frankly faultless. Characters were maintained whatever questions were put to them, and the whole experience was slickly orchestrated, proving that creator/director/producer Vanessa B Baylen, knows exactly what she’s doing.

There were occasional moments of conflict between characters, which added spice to the proceedings (a little like the bowl of chilli chocolate), and hot-tempers flared up as some dark and dirty secrets were uncovered by audience members – sorry, detectives. Although these moments sent a frisson of excitement around the room, they were nicely integrated and didn’t feel too staged.

The chocolate also played a starring role in this production, each tasty tit-bit as pleasing as the pieces of the puzzle you could prize out of the suspects. It was a gimmick, but oh what delicious one!

If you’re looking for a truly unusual experience at the fringe, ‘Death by Chocolate’ certainly offers a tasty treat. However, don’t expect to be able crack the case that easily – there’s an awful lot of material in the room, and a lot of people to try and get round; I occasionally felt the production might have been more enjoyable if it had been a little, well, easier. Maybe I was just getting sidetracked by the chocolate. Or maybe not - even when the audience compiled their findings at the end of the performance, it was still difficult to see the solution. People were literally begging to be told – but the illusion was maintained and we were instead directed to a website where the investigation would be documented.

How neat, I thought. Yet when I eagerly checked the site as soon as I got home, there was no answer. I can only presume they’re making us wait till the end of the run, which seems a shame - people’s attention and interest will inevitably wane. I might have left this show full of chocolate, but withholding the crucial info of whodunnit ultimately left me hungry for more and a little unsatisfied. 

Reviewed by H Williams 03/08/08

Website :

www.immihq.com