Imagine walking into a theatre as a spectator… and walking out a decorated detective and celebrated actor. That’s the audacious premise of Rebecca Northan and Bruce Horak’s Murder-on-the-Lake, where each night one brave audience member steps into the spotlight as lead investigator of a local homicide. For two unscripted hours, this civilian sleuth never leaves the stage, steering the investigation through a labyrinth of suspects and secrets.
That play they came to see? It becomes their story.
I could regale you with an account of how, on the night I saw the show, real-life researcher Fernando transformed from willing but nervous volunteer into game gumshoe “Detective Dr.”. How he demonstrated a quick wit, a smiling disposition and a willingness to pursue every outlandish angle. How with his quips, his asides and his studious application of the ten minutes of detective training he was given at the show’s start, he made us howl with laughter … and acknowledge him a not entirely unworthy successor to famed investigators Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, who have previously graced the Shaw with their deductive prowess.
But tomorrow’s show belongs to tomorrow’s detective: my experience merely hints at the possibilities. So let me focus instead on the show’s stellar ensemble cast – Kristopher Bowman, Cosette Derome, Sochi Fried, Virgilia Griffith, Martin Happer, Bruce Horak, Northan, and Travis Seetoo – who step confidently and quick-wittedly into their roles as … no, wait.
The cast dazzles with quick wit and masterful improvisation, but here’s the second twist: just as the lead detective in each night’s show is a fresh, audience-plucked star, so, too, are the talented cast members shuffled randomly into the play’s various roles, in a process of selection that takes place at the end of the prior show. Compound the Russian roulette casting with the lightning-in-a-bottle requirement to improvise unique dialogue in response to the given night’s detective, and Murder-on-the-Lake is a freshly minted, bespoke show each time it runs.
The setup is deliciously simple. Almost exactly one year ago, a woman named Jan died mysteriously at Butler’s Island Bed & Breakfast in Niagara-on-the-Lake, while on an annual getaway with her friends. After a long-delayed autopsy, the police have finally declared that it was murder. As Jan’s friends return to Butler’s Island on this year’s trip, the police are ready to investigate … by sending in the undercover audience member detective.
On stage, the various suspects – who range from Jan’s former lover to that lover’s new and former lovers … to friends, relatives and medical professionals (sort of) — are dressed in distinct monochromatic costumes of blue, red, purple, orange, etc. This is both a nod to the board game Clue, and a functional, sometimes hilarious shorthand that the amateur detective can lean on (“Hey, Mr. Red”) when character names elude them. And speaking of clever, Judith Bowden’s wonderfully detailed interior B&B set is the identical set being used in Tons of Money, which is playing in repertory at the Royal George Theatre. By transforming seamlessly from farce to crime scene, it proves that good design, like good improvisation, is all about adaptability.
And at its core, Murder-on-the-Lake is a masterclass in design: the true stars of this funny, clever, risk-taking show are the five “Spontaneous Theatre basic tenets” which Northan describes in the Director’s Note in the show program. These principles, which the company knows by the acronym SPICE, transform what could easily be plodding theatrical chaos or cheap improvisational shallowness into orchestrated brilliance.
Spontaneity: In the show, seasoned actors dance on quicksand, pivoting instantly to make contact with whatever curveball the newly minted civilian detective hurls their way. This includes observations, accusations, and even ephemera about their origins, personal cover story and trials and tribulations (As but one example, the Toronto transit system took some merciless mockery on the night I attended).
Play: Anticipation fills the theatre, as actors, audience, and amateur sleuth lean in together, united by healthy trepidation, shared goodwill, and above all, an openness to discover, learn … and laugh.
Intuition: Split-second decisions shape the narrative in real-time. Yes, there’s a correct solution, but the detective is encouraged to follow their hunches, make a timely arrest, and not agonize over the right answer … which Fernando delightfully did (and then re-did), yielding comedy gold in the process.
Curiosity: Clues lurk literally everywhere — in on-stage objects, whispered asides, telling glances and comically “private” convers
ations. Every question from the detective — and each suggestion called out panto-style from the audience — helps propel the story forward.
Empathy: Here’s where mastery meets magic. Northan, wearing dual hats as the play’s Director and the performer of its two most crucial non-detective roles, orchestrates an invisible safety net for her civilian star. She plays the ranking police officer who hires and orients our intrepid new detective, and a second, particularly ingenious role at the B&B where the detective goes undercover. In these roles, she subtly guides our amateur detective with cues, encouragement and occasional overt assistance — without ever stealing their spotlight. Her performance is a masterclass in theatrical shepherding: part improvisation engine, part plot navigator and occasional fourth wall-breaker, she always ensures the amateur actor and sleuth shines brightest.
The true genius of this show is its deceptive simplicity — which has been achieved through complexity-wrangling and deep design work by the Spontaneous Theatre team. And that’s the real story of Murder-on-the-Lake: not who played whom, or even who killed whom — but a brilliantly clever, deceptively simple theatrical framework that transforms an ordinary show into an extraordinary, uproarious, one-of-a-kind adventure.
Just don’t ask me to tell you how it unfolds. That part’s up to the night’s detective.
Murder-on-the-Lake continues on stage at the Royal George Theatre until October 4, 2025. Tickets are available on shawfest.com.
© Scott Sneddon, Sesaya Arts Magazine 2025
