Murder’s in the Heir – a Knives Out Mystery from the Impresario’s players, the Waddy Theatre – 12 October 2024

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from our own Lady Whistledown

It was a dark and stormy night.

12 possible murder suspects are gathered in the house of Simon Starkweather; family members, staff and (conveniently) a Private Detective, all brought together for a public reading of his will. Starkweather is worth billions, and he is at death’s door, as evidenced by artfully placed talcum powder in young Henry Flint’s all-too-lively hair. Never fear, a will has been drawn up that divides his fortune between his remaining family members, barring small amounts to be given to his long-suffering staff – one third to niece Fiona Starkweather and her son Jordan (Vered Lalrinpuii and David Vacek), one third to his great-niece Paula Thompson (Claudia Hall), and the last to grandson Simon Starkweather III (also Henry Flint). However, in a shocking twist right at the top of the show, Simon Starkweather Sr has decided to clone himself, effectively leaving his entire fortune to his clone, to be born via surrogate, his PA Kathy Collins (Kate Mountain). The family members will each receive a small amount of money – a fraction of what they were originally promised. This second will is being drawn up this very night by lawyer Lois van Zandt (Katherine Rosen), and will become valid when Starkweather signs the dotted line. 

It will come as a surprise to no one that Starkweather is found dead a short time later. There is a blackout, and the old man is wheeled out into the living room, with a blood pressure cuff wrapped around his neck and drops of red liquid on his shirt.

So, who did it?

By the time the interval rolled around, we the audience were none the wiser about who the culprit could be. The ending hadn’t been set up at all, which is to say that everyone had been framed as a possible murderer. Was it the elderly Fiona Starkweather, convincingly portrayed by Vered Lalrinpuii, with her clumsily spilled deadly heart medication; or her sleazy son Jordan who was out to get everything he wanted, including maids and personal assistants? David Vacek put in a wonderful performance in this role, and assured the reviewer he was only pretending. Could it be Paula, the gun-toting niece who revealed to us all that Claudia Hall can do an extremely convincing southern accent? The Lawyer and the PA aren’t suspects because they have no motive. Katherine Rosen showed some real acting chops as lawyer Lois van Zandt, and this was clearly not her first rodeo. The same can be said of Kate Mountain in her role as the sweet Kathy Collins. The Private Detective is also immune, as is the heir Simon Starkweather III because he didn’t arrive until after the interval, and he is footing the bill for the investigation after all…

How about the staff? Mrs Trent, the housekeeper knows and sees everything. Mahati Garimella delivered her lines with impressive force, and showed a rarely-seen side to the quiet, sweet Mahati who resides here with us all. Bensonhurst the Butler, played ably by Claudio Garcia, was suspiciously carrying a wrench around in the middle of the night, so could the killer be him? Claudio’s right eyebrow completely stole the show as he broke the fourth wall conspiratorially. Nancy Pollard the maid was present during much of the action, and Ava Greay acted admirably, having to fend off Jordan’s advances and defend her life choices to the cook, Minerva Walker. Justina Emoh played Minerva with sass and pizazz, ominously brandishing her meat cleaver and waving it around like a would-be murderess. Miss Withers the Nurse, played by Juhi Joshi, was not happy about having to put up with the cranky old Starkweather, so her motives for doing away with the old man were plentiful. Juhi was a convincingly fed-up nurse, and didn’t smile once throughout the whole show, made all the more impressive because she is rarely seen without an enormous smile when not in character. Jim Wong Ulrich played Rufus, the loveable village idiot in hi-vis, and delivered a performance that can only be described as Jim. He was the catalyst for much raucous laughter as he appeared on stage with various household items, including an axe that needed to be brought inside and dried – a perfect murder weapon, no?

With all of these suspects and plenty of motives floating around, how was Detective Mike Davis supposed to wade through the evidence and find the killer? Paddy Golemo was very convincing in this role, endearingly portraying the unsuspecting detective thrown into a murder investigation. He and Henry as Starkweather III questioned each character until they happened upon the killer, and – spoiler alert – it was Paula who wanted to ensure that she got her rightful inheritance. The giveaway was the red candle, given to her by the housekeeper, that had dripped on poor Starkweather’s shirt. Given the vast array of potential killers, it was no surprise to learn that the play had been rehearsed with alternate endings, and each of the characters was a potential killer. The votes that were cast by the audience at the interval did in fact determine the killer, and this was a very clever device from playwright Billy St John.

Well, a rollercoaster was promised and that is certainly what was delivered. Directors Nusrat Asad and Kate Mountain put in a huge amount of effort to bring this play to fruition, and deserve bouquets for their dedication and wonderful skill. They pulled together an extremely entertaining night of theatre, ably assisted on sound and lighting by our own David Wright, as well as Lauren Lim, Jethro Mahon, Alan Huang, Sharon Chou and Simon Homsany, all in various supporting roles. I left feeling very glad to have this abundance of talent and wealth of generosity among the members of Graduate House, and looking forward to what the Impresario’s Players will produce next. 

If nothing else, let us take a lesson from David Vacek and Paddy Golemo, and forge on with the show at all costs. 

BL