Churchill Theatre, Bromley – until 7th November 2026
Reviewed by Phil Brown
4****
The stage play The Other Side of Murder—written by Torben Betts and directed by Philip Franks is the final instalment of their comedic “murder trilogy” (Murder in the Dark and Murder at Midnight) but is a self contained work. All produced by Original Theatre and Theatre Clwyd. I haven’t seen either of the other plays but from the titles alone, it all seems cosily redolent of a sequence of Richard Coles novels and destined to be just as popular.
The prolific Torben Betts has been described as having “a profound and highly original theatrical voice” and should be a “bigger name” and this play certainly underlines those endorsements. He is quite possibly a rival to Ayckbourn as a master of observation, dark comedy and the human condition.
The Other Side of Murder is cleverly conceived, wittily written, and a rather brilliantly directed (Philip Franks) and performed domestic drama creating many comic moments with progressively darker and ever more farcical situations as the story develops. It’s not an intelligence test or a demanding watch and all the more entertaining for that. It aims squarely for the right side of the brain and scores a resounding hit.
The programme contains an interview with lead actor Rufus Hound (playing Peter) in which he talks about the importance of creating tension in comedy and drama, and it’s certainly the case that this performance has plenty of it. There are times in both acts when tension comes close to unbearable. Just as you were wondering how things would resolve, there are a couple of clever, unexpected twists at the denouement which may well have wronged women everywhere punching the air.
To back up a little – the main part is Peter (consummately played by Rufus Hound). He is a somewhat chaotic TV personality/hypnotist/spirit medium channelling the supernatural (“the other side” in the title) under the nom d’artiste of Darius Divine. His wife Susannah (played by the impeccable Carla Mendoça) is also his commercially calculating agent.
The scene is a reunion dinner at home with estranged daughter from his first marriage arriving from Australia, Jen (well played by Beth Lilly). She needs to be won over by Peter. There is also Susannah’s eccentric mother (magnificently portrayed by Susie Blake – an ever present player in the “murder trilogy”) and a luminescent presence in the action. She disapproves of Peter, employs the occasional vulgar phrase and turns out to be a genuine medium compared to Peter/Darius’ fake one. Into the pre-dinner preparation explodes the feisty Laura (played by a suitably ferocious Aisha Jawando) who is Peter’s (unlikely) lover on the side and as it turns out, pregnant with his baby. She happens to be married to rough diamond Jason (played with real menace by Andy McLeod) and oscillates between demanding hush money and Peter to leave his wife.
The set (Colin Falconer) – a fairly conventional open plan kitchen/diner – remains unchanged throughout the play but becomes increasingly exciting with excellent lighting (Jason Taylor) and sound (Max Pappenheim) effects and some very cool illusions indeed (John Bulleid). I thought Peter could have been dressed a little more trendily to warrant Laura’s apparent attraction.
Most of the classic elements of a fast paced farce are woven skilfully into what becomes quite a complex plot. In an apparently civilised but potentially tense domestic event, what could go wrong does go wrong. Unexpected arrivals, early arrivals, mistaken identity (Susannah assumes Laura is a hired French chef), near misses, clumsy accidents including death, and escalating lies and cover-ups all feature as the evening proceeds. Amongst all of this Susannah’s mother – Gilbert & Sullivan obsessive Miriam – appears at inopportune moments, singing and quoting extracts from various G&S works and insisting the house is hers (originally it was).
The Other Side of Murder has been touring since early September and it shows through in a wonderfully smooth performance with superbly timed dialogue. The cast interaction is simply dazzling. Rufus Hound, Carla Mendonça and Susie Blake all stand out in their separate roles. In particular Rufus Hound is really quite masterful in conveying the wincing desperation that results when it gets ever harder to cover his tracks, and Susie Blake has some of the best lines in the play including revealing the disappointing details of Peter & Laura’s liaisons. On reflection, what starts out as a straightforward farce becomes something of a multi-layered morality tale.
The Other Side of Murder not only showcases top class writing, performing and all round stagecraft, it is fabulous entertainment.