Murder in the Dark at The Alexandra, Birmingham - Review

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Posted 2023-11-08 by Andy Coleman ⇒ follow

Tue 07 Nov 2023 - Sat 11 Nov 2023

Writer Torben Betts is best known for his dark comedies, so I was keen to see how he tackled something from the horror/thriller genre. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Murder in the Dark, which is at Birmingham’s Alexandra until November 11, turns out to be dark with a rich vein of comedy running through it.

Reviewers have been asked to not reveal the play’s twists and turns – “spread the word but not the spoilers” – but I can tell you that the premise is that former pop star Danny Sierra and his extended family find themselves in a remote farmhouse on New Year’s Eve after a car crash. There are a series of inexplicable events, such as the television switching itself on and off, the song Three Blind Mice being heard, ghostly apparitions – and the cottage being plunged into darkness.

There are some moments that make the audience jump but it’s not particularly horrific, it’s more of a psychological horror production, tempered with some great comedy lines, mainly delivered by the creepy cottage owner Mrs Bateman, played with scene-stealing joy by Susie Blake (pictured below).

Former Strictly Come Dancing champion Tom Chambers is always watchable in the lead role of the alcoholic Danny Sierra, and even participates in a musical duet with brother William, played by Owen Oakeshott (pictured below). There are solid performances by Rebecca Charles as Danny’s ex-partner, Jonny Green as their son Jake, and Laura White as Danny’s young girlfriend.

Running at 90 minutes (excluding interval), it’s a taut production that doesn’t outstay its welcome, although I felt the conclusion is rather rushed. And on opening night some of the dialogue was hard to hear, especially when the actors moved to the back of the stage. Maybe it was due to one of those inexplicable events!

Rating: Three stars (out of five)