REVIEW: The Murder Room - Nash Theatre

The Murder Room 

Presented by: New Farm Nash Theatre

Date attended: 15 August 2026

Playwright: Jack Sharkey

Director: Sharon White

Stage Manager: Laura McIntosh

Set, Lighting, Sound Design: Phil Carney and Sharon White

Costumes and Props: Sharon White and John Mann

I left The Murder Room with two crystal-clear realisations: one, it is totally bonkers, and two, I really wanted to be part of it! Written by American playwright Jack Sharkey, the farce takes the familiar British whodunnit and gleefully spoofs it with shades of Fawlty Towers and Monty Python’s Flying Circus in its deadpan humour and daft logic.

We immediately meet with wealthy Edgar Hollister and his shiny new wife, Mavis. Their marriage is going just splendidly (if you count infidelity, poisoned cocoa, and attempted murder). It doesn’t take long for Mavis' evil plans to go awry. Soon enough, Edgar’s daughter Susan, her fiancé Barry, housekeeper Lottie, and Inspector Crandall find themselves tangled in a wild mystery of vanishing bodies and misleading information.

One of my favourite things about the play’s construction is that the audience isn’t left stumbling around in the dark. Instead of playing detective and piecing everything together with the characters (like in most whodunnits), we get a front-row seat to the chaos, watching everyone trip over red herrings, overlook obvious clues, and make questionable deductions. There’s particular satisfaction in watching Mavis concoct yet another wobbly explanation, only for someone to stroll in and hilariously ruin it.

Sharon White keeps the pace brisk and the tangled dialogue easy to follow. Farce can quickly become painful if scenes drag, punchlines disappear, or the audience loses track of everyone’s motives. Here, cue pickups were crisp, diction clear, and pauses well judged. The script deliberately loops back on itself as people lose their train of thought, contradict earlier statements, misinterpret simple facts, and circle around the same issue from different angles. It takes precision to make that kind of repetition funny, and this ensemble had it. All six performers shared the same dry comic sensibility, supported by strong accents and distinct personas. No one outshone anyone else, and they all equally rank as my favorite characters.

John Mann as Edgar Hollister looks straight out of an old-fashioned country-house mystery, sporting a red velvet smoking jacket, grey wig, and moustache. With all the airs of a snooty aristocrat, he fumbles around blissfully unaware of his own ridiculousness. Mann brilliantly plays this mix of pomp and oblivion for laughs. He also gets another entertaining character opportunity later on that is best left unexplained.

Phillippa White as Mavis barely steps foot in the room before she’s spinning lies faster than a merry-go-round. Her face does half the work, with eyebrows, grimaces, flashes of panic, and a look of strained innocence that reveals exactly how quickly her brain is working. Her voice, polished to a high shine, and sparkling outfits complete Mavis’ carefully cultivated upper-class image.

Robyn Stumm takes on the role of the quintessential Cockney housekeeper Lottie. It appears that she knows absolutely everything while somehow failing to pass the useful facts on to anyone who needs them. She might not win any awards for helpfulness, but she’s got the lovable factor down to an art. Stumm lands some of Sharkey’s funniest lines with matter-of-fact dryness, and it’s a hoot watching everyone run around conducting an elaborate investigation while Lottie already holds half the answers.

Jonathan Knox is the epitome of a British inspector if I ever saw one. He brings an eager enthusiasm to Inspector Crandall, dutifully gathering clues from a household that gets more convoluted by the second. His accent and delivery fit neatly into the heightened world of the play. Plus, his goofier side emerges as the investigation turns into a circus of absurdity. His ability to oscillate between moments of intensity and comedic relief proves his versatility as an actor.

Madelyn Scott as Susan Hollister is like a walking sunshine emoji, with the posture of a mannequin, giddy enthusiasm, childlike trust, and blissful ignorance. With her headbands, pearls, cardigans, full-skirted dresses, and proper dialect, Susan floats above reality like a balloon. Scott nails Susan’s habit of blurting out her thoughts, especially when she gets caught in those dizzying verbal exchanges that go round and round in circles.

Drew Russell plays Barry Draper, the lone American dropped among this collection of eccentric Brits. His argyle sweater vests, cheesy grin, and constant politeness perfectly match the persona of this wealthy young heir. Barry is clearly baffled by the dysfunction surrounding Susan, yet remains completely devoted to her (despite the pair having known each other for like twelve minutes.) Russell gives Barry just enough common sense to stand out from the Hollisters, while still fitting comfortably into the farce.

The drawing-room set by Phil Carney and Sharon White features muted blue-green walls, floral furniture and timber pieces, a rotary phone, and the portrait of the late Mrs. Hollister overseeing it all. Hidden drawers and secret-passage elements gradually reveal the room's own tricks. The lighting design is put to particularly good use during a blackout tussle over a gun. As for the sound design, gunshots, phone calls, doorbells, and the unmistakable sound of somebody falling down the basement stairs keep the unseen parts of the house busy too. Costumes add to each personality, from Mavis’s divine dresses and Susan’s prim silhouettes to Barry’s sweater vests, Lottie’s uniform (and pink pajamas), and the traditional getup for the Constable. There’s also a dead cat puppet...

Sharon White has built this puzzle carefully. Lies collide with clues, inconvenient facts surface at the wrong moment, and plot twists keep reshaping what everyone thinks they know. The full house at Nash Theatre was happily along for the ride, chuckling throughout and eventually letting out a collective groan as the final act sent us around yet one more circle. At around 90 minutes plus interval, it moves quickly enough that I stayed invested through to the final tangle. The cast earn every laugh with their impeccably-rehearsed timing.

The Murder Room is an easy must-see for fans of murder mysteries, British farce, or silly ensemble comedy. New Farm Nash Theatre has brought together six talented actors who perfectly capture the spirit of the material. I would definitely see it again.