Review: Entertaining Murder (Upstairs at the Gatehouse)

Review by Molly Gulvin

⭐️⭐️⭐️

When does association become cause for conviction? This is the dilemma explored in Entertaining Murder, a new production by Chris Burgess following readings in 2024. Advertised as a ‘murder mystery musical’, the show follows the true story of Edith Thompson and her young lover Frederick Bywaters as they are tried for a case that made history: the murder of Edith’s husband, Percy. Currently being performed at the highest theatre in London (quite literally: Upstairs at the Gatehouse is 446ft above sea level), would this production come out on top too? 

In a way, I would argue that this show’s billing as a ‘murder mystery’ is somewhat misleading: it is clear who is responsible for the killing of Percy Thompson throughout. With that being said, the questions surrounding Edith’s involvement in the case is gripping, and a brilliant (even if unexpected) basis for a musical, and Burgess must be commended for seeing the potential in this story. This is only added to by the lovely writing throughout, falling flat only in rare moments of narration; at points, the narrative voice of Avis Thompson can become obscured, and it can be hard to tell how much of the narration comes from Avis’s voice and how much is simply a statement of fact. 

Burgess has said that this story is one that he has grown up with and feels close to, and that is obvious in both his writing and direction. The narrative heart of the piece is obviously important as it progresses, and it is clear throughout the show that time and care have been taken in ensuring that the story presented is as close to the truth as possible. Burgess is unafraid to tackle the morally grey, and this creates a gripping review of characters that have been labelled with stereotypes by the public. Whilst this leads to interesting character examinations, this approach to character study is sometimes applied inappropriately, particularly in the case of Percy Thompson. After being portrayed as somewhat irredeemable for a lot of the first act, with the character being both verbally and physically abusive to his wife at points in the show, it feels slightly insensitive and confusing to try to redeem this character towards the end of the act and with the moral questioning surrounding our two leads, further confusion of character stereotypes could be unnecessary. Despite this, the examination of both Edith and Freddy is very effective, and the choices made throughout the production help to highlight how public opinion can skew how facts are perceived.  

Musically, the production is engaging and draws upon the 1920s setting effectively to create some wonderful numbers. Some personal favourites include ‘Why Not’, a charming duet in which Edith and Freddy experience a whirlwind romance, and ‘Beautiful Things’, a short song sung by Freddy to demonstrate his resignation before his execution. Freddy’s other second act solo, ‘Enough’, was performed magnificently by Dominic Sullivan and given the opportunity, I imagine tenors would be biting hands off for the opportunity to add this to their audition repertoire! The orchestrations by Aaron Clingham (also musical director) really added to the 1920s atmosphere and suited the songs wonderfully; the necessity to use MIDI samples for tracks is understandable, but it would be wonderful to hear these tracks with live performances, as the samples don’t always do the nuances in the score justice. Each number felt exciting and different from each other, and on the whole felt narratively driven and added something to the show (perhaps the only exception to this being The Difference of Men, which doesn’t necessarily add any context to the story and ends up just feeling somewhat lewd compared to the otherwise fairly serious performance). 

The ensemble of just five performers is highly skilled and makes the performance feel effortless throughout. With that being said, a shining performance comes from Daisy Snelson, playing Edith Thompson. Her voice is wonderful throughout, and she is a compelling and emotive Edith, evoking real pity in her final moments. Her scenes with Dominic Sullivan, playing Freddy, are a true case for the promise that this show holds. Dora Gee and Alex Cosgriff are talented multi-rolling performers, but are also dedicated to their performances of Young Avis and Percy, respectively. As the older Avis Thompson, Sue Kelvin provides an enjoyable performance, and Burgess’s direction was once again evident in the connection between Kelvin and Gee: it was clear that these two actors, playing the same character, looked at the role with similar motivations, and this helped to make the performance more cohesive as a whole. 

In general, the costume and set design were limited but still helped to create a convincing atmosphere for the performance. The set remained unchanged throughout the performance (aside from moving a chaise towards the very end), but was versatile and well-adapted to changing locations and scenes. The costume design was useful in placing the 1920s setting, with Carla Joy Evans’s design encapsulating each character very well. Whilst it would have been nice to see slightly more differentiation for characters played by multi-rolling actors (such as being able to differentiate between Cosgriff’s performance as a judge and jury member without it having to be explicitly stated), this didn’t detract from the production as a whole.

Whilst the murder of Percy Thompson happened over 100 years ago, the story presented in Entertaining Murder remains important today - not only because Edith’s innocence is still being fought for. The performance is both enjoyable and intriguing, and the broader ideas of complicity and morally grey subject areas create an intriguing show that shows a lot of promise. With polishing, Entertaining Murder could have a very successful further life, and this production already has elements of the excellent show it could become. 

Entertaining Murder plays at Upstairs at the Gatehouse until 10th May.

Tickets available here.