Murder! At The Cirque Du Banquet! The Terrible, Final Case of Detective Ace Dekkard

I don’t even know where to get started with this review.

I saw this companys show last year and just knew I had to make the time to come and see their next piece…and I’m so so so glad I did!

This show has absolutely everything you want from the murder mystery/noir genre. It had me laughing one minute, on the edge of my seat the next, and I was just completely drawn into the crazy world they've created.

The costumes, lighting design, sound design, one-liners, accents and set was just so perfectly crafted and you could tell that every element on and off stage was carefully considered during the creative process.

The stand out for me has to go to the individual who played Sweet/Basil Alfredo/Candy Ambrosia/Officer Whist/Polo/Draft Pullman/ Mysterious Male Figure (yes they played ALL of these parts). Every single character was so different and they could not have picked a better person to portray so many crazy and integral characters. If this person did a one-man show (eg. Cher, West Side Story, playing all the parts) best believe I would be front row.

I also think the director has done such an outstanding job at carrying this piece from script to stage. It was slick, professional and admirable. Shows like this with lots of different characters/arcs/intertwined stories can be so bitty but it was carried out beautifully and with genuine thought.

The writers of this show are so talented - between this and their last one, I genuinely can’t believe they aren’t writing for TV/Film.

As Lady Gaga once said, this show was talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique x

(5 stars from me if that wasn’t clear before)

Murder! At The Cirque Du Banquet! Is such a good show. Great writing, character development, irreverent humour and a very credible murder mystery plot that keeps you guessing to almost the end.

All of this performed by a wonderful cast who clearly had worked very hard to be this good and were having a fantastic time as well.

If you get the chance to go see Murder! At The Cirque Du Banquet! during fringe, then you should take it.

5/5

A brilliantly written and acted show displaying the strengths of all involved with the production. It’s a hilarious take on the detective/murder mystery genre whilst also staying true to its inspiration. An absolute must see this year at the Fringe. I cannot wait for the next project The Dead Parrot Collective put together. 5/5.

“Murder! At The Cirque Du Banquet! The Terrible, Final Case of Detective Ace Dekkard” is a writing masterclass in absurdity and profundity going hand in hand.

Through nuanced and subtle writing not only do Dead Parrot create a compelling narrative through their murder mystery element, they aim to satirise the genre of Neo-Noir Detective films. Each scene successfully captures the essence of that genre, all the while weaving a complex web of character relations and emotional stake within the story that is fully capable of standing of its own.

The technical elements of the show are also expertly applied. A minimalist set is very well utilised, beautifully balancing between unnoticeably immersive and immensely comedic - many comedic highlights being moments of physical prop comedy. Light, and sound too in particular, play a large part in the show’s design; musical cues and internal monologue voice over further dissecting the elements of the genre parody.

Costumes are very well crafted and of a great polish for a production of its value (the same being able to be said for the production as a whole, frankly).

A very talented collective of actors, designers and writers have come together, with care and passion, to create a truly wonderful piece of theatre that stands to make you gasp with not only laughter but shock and intrigue as well.

5/5 , not one to miss!