MURDER-ON-THE-LAKE
***** (out of five)
Royal George Theatre, 2 hours 30 minutes, one intermission, ends Oct. 4. Written by Rebecca Northan and Bruce Horak. Directed by Rebecca Northan.

Where to begin? This was such a joy. The audience all in, listening intently and exploding with appreciative laughter. The fourth wall gone.  

Murder-on-the-Lake is compelling improvisation at its best, with quick-thinking actors diving into their characters, embracing unpredictability, listening carefully and exploring underlying emotions.

This is play writ large, the play of childhood, spontaneous, free, therapeutic and all too often lost when, as adults, we become fearful and self-conscious. 

This is improv with a plot structure as follows: one year before, Jan and her friends were enjoying their annual trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake with a stay at Butler’s Bed & Breakfast. Jan was murdered.

Now, the friends have returned to reminisce and celebrate Jan’s life.

At the Niagara Regional Police Department, a new rookie detective is assigned to investigate the crime. That detective will be a willing audience member approached in the lobby before the performance. On the night I saw the show, this was Dave.

Dave was brought up to the stage, given his ID badge, a wire under his jacket, the backstory and instructions by Rebecca Northan as a tough commanding officer. Sochi Fried plays a junior officer whose name sounds like a nod to Jagodowski, a famed Chicago improviser.

Dave is dispatched to the island B&B by rowboat in a fierce storm. His job? To interview all the potential suspects and roll with whatever happens.

Well, Dave was a natural improviser. He had not only agreed to be the detective, but his quick thinking, creativity and comeback witticisms had the audience roaring with laughter. He was brave and adaptable and there was instant camaraderie with the cast.  Dave was in charge, but he was not alone.

For each performance, the actors switch roles in a draw from a hat or bowl, so they are constantly experimenting with different interpretations of their characters. They were outstanding the evening I attended.

Costume colours coordinate with each personality. Bold primary colours and styles of dress designed by Rose Tavormina gave insights into the characters.

As for Dave, he could refer to colours rather than having to remember names.

Kristopher Bowman was terrific as the red guy, hot, sex-obsessed and packing on the PDA with the ex-wife of the deceased. Colette Deromme, dressed in orange, was hardly the bereaved widow as she exuded willing warmth and swooning enthusiasm with her latest squeeze.

Bruce Horak, wearing a regal purple suit with purple patent shoes, maintained a sophisticated presence as a smooth chiropractor who insisted on being called “Doctor.” When Dave asked him a question, he haughtily replied, “I don’t work here.” Dave came back with “Dressed like that; you should.” The audience cheered.

Virgilia Griffith, in hot pink, did emotional swings from sweetness to explosive anger. Martin Happer, the blue guy, serenely took his time to meetings, causing Dave to check his watch. Travis Seeto, the nervous, gawky young manager, was the outlier in pale blue denim.

Jan, as the murder victim played by Rebecca Northan, appeared to Dave as an apparition that no one else could see. Together, they would try to solve the mystery.

The upscale B&B sitting room, designed by Judith Bowden for “Tons of Money,” was tweaked for this Canadian setting with a stag head on the wall and a bar cart of liquor, including Crown Royale. This appealed to Dave.

The lighting designed by Jeff Pybus and assisted by Daniel Tessy was imaginative and effective. Every time the word “murder” was spoken, lightning flashed and thunder rolled.

Hockey advice to keep the eye on the puck extended to the light, always being on the star performer, Dave. Original music and sound designed by John Gzowski kept the tension growing and abating. 

Improv is hard work. If the goal of “Murder-on-the-Lake” is to take very good care of its audience, this production succeeds admirably. It was a very good time.

Penny-Lynn Cookson is an arts and culture historian, writer and lecturer living in Niagara-on-the-Lake.