Murder She Didn't Write: The Improvised Murder Mystery is on at at Pleasance Courtyard - Pleasance Beyond, during August.
Lizzy Skrzypiec, director and performer of Murder, She Didn't Write answers our questions.
- What is your Fringe show about?
Agatha Christie meets Cluedo in an interactive improv show where the audience help create a murder mystery and then try to solve it. All under the watchful and ever helpful eye of our eagle-eyed detective. Everything on stage is made up on the spot, based on audience suggestions. The murderer and victim are picked by a member of the audience chosen at random and then the rest must watch, laugh along, spot the clues and guess whodunnit. Anything could happen!
- How many times/many years have you appeared at the Fringe?
This will be the show’s sixth year at the Edinburgh Fringe, the company’s seventh and my ninth.
- What’s your most memorable moment from the Fringe?
There are so many! I remember one year we did a version of our show where everyone gets killed and it’s a frantic race to find the murderer, we were given “a night at the theatre” as the event the mystery takes place. Mr Green and I were a passionate Italian dancing duo and in a heated moment had licked some evidence we’d found on the victim’s body. It was then the detective called out “I sure hope the victim wasn’t poisoned or that would have been a SERIOUSLY stupid thing to do.” Then we grasped our throats, fell into each other’s arms, danced together for about two minutes then collapsed and died. It was my favourite on-stage death.
- What’s the worst thing about the Fringe?
I think the worst thing about the Fringe is the bias towards solo male stand-up. I remember applying to venues and being told “ah we already have an improv show” and I’d think “Yeah and you have about forty white male stand-up comedians!”
Some bookers also have a very black and white view of comedy when many shows on the fringe of comedy are part cabaret, part sketch, part improv, part black box theatre and blurring the boundaries between them all. There is still the slightly dated view that you can delicately and neatly place all shows into the main crisp categories and I fear it means some fantastic shows fall between those cracks.
- If you were not a performer what would you be doing?
When I’m not a performer I make gameshows and quizzes. I write questions and puzzles for several tv shows. If I didn’t perform I’d be doing a whole lot more of that because I am a bit of a quiz fanatic. If we’re even more specific, in August I should actually be in studio for Britain’s Brightest Family series two.
- How do you prepare for a performance?
Preparations are really important and we use the brief time before we go on stage trying to get into a group mindset, playing fast mind exercises and games to get the energy up. The first twenty minutes of a performance tends to dictate how the rest of the show will go, so high energy is important.
- Favourite thing about being in Edinburgh?
I absolutely love meeting all the other performers and shows at the Fringe. It’s absolutely energizing and inspiring. Sometimes it’s easy to feel like performing is a lonely pursuit and it’s great to meet others in the same boat, at similar levels with similar struggles and triumphs. When it comes to specifics of being in Edinburgh, there are a number of pubs I call home when I’m in town – the Brass Monkey for one.
- What’s the most Scottish thing you’ve ever done?
In a genius moment, after coming back from the pub to find no food in, I made myself a haggis, cheese and pickle sandwich. I used a frozen haggis I brought back from one of my first trips to Edinburgh, which I subsequently microwaved and shoved in some bread with slices of cheese and some Branston pickle for a snack. I still think, to this day, think it was a thing of beauty.
- Favourite Scottish food/drink?
Macaroni cheese pies – they are deadly!
- Sum up your show in three words
Murder Most Funny.
Show summary
A classic murder mystery is created on the spot from audience suggestions in this ingenious show from Fringe favourites, Degrees of Error.
Murder She Didn't Write: The Improvised Murder Mystery is on at at Pleasance Courtyard - Pleasance Beyond, during August. For tickets, please visit www.edfringe.com
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