Review: Done to Death, By Jove!

Much Wenlock audiences were treated to a gloriously chaotic evening on Saturday as Done To Death, By Jove! thundered into The Edge Arts Centre, proving that when things go wrong on stage, they can go spectacularly right. Billed as a spoof homage to the Great British Detective tradition, the show gleefully mashes together Holmes, Watson, Poirot and Miss Marple in a murder mystery where Lady Fanshawe meets her untimely end and absolutely everything else unravels. With four cast members “stranded” on the M6, Nicholas Collett and Gavin Robertson are left to shoulder a six-actor production alone – a conceit that fuels a masterclass in theatrical farce.

What follows is a breathless display of sharp interplay, pinpoint timing and intricate wordplay, as the pair ricochet between roles using little more than regional accents, boundless physicality and, crucially, a formidable collection of hats. Sound cues go awry, backstage is half-revealed, and the audience is repeatedly invited to suspend disbelief – not that it’s difficult when the comic rhythm is this exact. At times the spirit of Morecambe & Wise and The Two Ronnies hovers warmly over the stage, particularly in the affectionate ribbing and barely concealed bickering between the two performers, which becomes as compelling as the murder mystery itself.

After the interval, the show doubles down on its playful audacity by recruiting six audience members to recap the first half, stepping briefly into the story’s many guises. It’s a risky device that pays off handsomely, underlining just how confidently Collett and Robertson hold the room. The sweat pours, the laughs roar, and the sense of joy is unmistakable. Done To Death, By Jove! is silly, smart and impeccably executed – a triumph of comic craft that left Much Wenlock on its feet. Excellent, by Jove, indeed.

Playful photos by Bob May