The USA, late 1890s. Julius Ide (Rufus Angel) — racketeer, extortionist, self-confessed family man — lies dead on the ground in his country mansion, having recently moved out of his criminal home turf of New York City.
The suspect list is long and varied: Julius’s wife Mary (Jennifer Roberts) and son Patrick (Lewis Diggins), old friend George Van Bachs (Freddie Raphael) and his daughter Harriet (Millie Longmate), Ide family lawyer Alistair Ledge (Kai Katahan) and his wife Eleanor (Ella Clarke) are all potential killers. And yet, while in a standard murder mystery these people would all be scrambling to form alibis and prove their innocence, this particular case is slightly different.
It quickly becomes apparent that the government of New York has become so desperate to rid themselves of Julius Ide that they are offering a substantial monetary reward to anyone who partakes in his capture, his imprisonment – or his murder. Thus, each of the suspects realise that they have no alibi for the time of the killing, and that if they can prove they were the criminals, the money is theirs. Detective Hugo Dunnit (Sunshine Wirrmann) has his work cut out for him.
Making a Killing is 2026’s Manchester Musical Revue, an annual project from UMMTS that platforms a full, original, student-written show at the beginning of each calendar year. Auditioned before Christmas and given just a few weeks to prepare and rehearse, the continued quality of these shows is a genuine testament to the skill of those involved. Music, book, and lyrics are provided by music director Aidan Fyfe, while Tommy Schofield directs, Ella Laughton assistant directs, Isabel Brown serves as AMD, and Freya Howe produces.
Unsurprisingly, the show is a light-hearted, comedic affair that pokes fun at the tropes and trappings of classic murder mysteries from Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and the like. As an affectionate parody of the detective genre it is continuously funny in both script and production, with the humorous tone extending to the dialogue, the music, and the set alike.
Subverting the classic setup by having the characters trying to prove their guilt rather than their innocence is only the beginning, with the actors each giving wonderful comic performances and elevating the already charming script tremendously. Freddie Raphael as George Van Bachs is the standout in this regard, given the most expressly comedic character in the show and throwing himself into the role of an empty-headed pantomime clown with great aplomb and bringing this same energy to his baffled performances in dance sequences.
The soundtrack itself is a particular highlight, with plenty of standout numbers that showcase a mastery of musical theatre songwriting and each of which is wonderfully performed by cast and band alike. The title song, “Making a Killing”, is perhaps the best example here – each pair of suspects sings about their own motives and movements individually before coming together to perform their parts simultaneously, closing in on Dunnit with beautiful but threatening harmonies before being cut off by a blackout and the succeeding interval.
It’s a great piece that effectively heightens the stakes and conveys character information to the audience without feeling forced, and this same trick is repeated later on with “Investigation is the Game”. Here Dunnit is trying to determine if any of the suspects’ stories actually hold water by figuring out if anything could have prevented them from committing the crime, and the repetition of the same melody with altered lyrics each time maintains the pace and allows for some delightful wordplay.
Another highlight is “Something Alike”, a sweet and uplifting little song in which Hattie and Patrick start to realise that they actually do have feelings for each other after all, with Diggins and Longmate putting in some of the strongest vocal work in the whole show and perfectly selling the young love. In a sea of excellent performances, though, I would have to say that Jennifer Roberts as Julius’ widow Mary is particularly good – she plays the exaggerated femme fatale role fantastically and provides a wonderful straight woman to the idiocy of her co-conspirator George.
Choreographer Frankie Franklin provides entertaining dance routines that imbue the show with a genuine sense of energy that it might have otherwise lacked, and the cast do an excellent job of remaining in character throughout – some looking indignant at being forced to participate, others clearly having the time of their life.
Designers Zita Cheung and Miya Atherton-Patel also certainly deserve commendation – the painted cardboard furniture may look cheap at first glance (and, well, it is), but in the long run it only heightens the comedic atmosphere. The running visual joke of characters pretending to sit on a sofa that isn’t actually there is utterly delightful, particularly when paired with especially dramatic or serious dialogue, as is the replacement of Julius’ dead body with a small plastic skeleton complete with ping pong ball eyes.
Really, my only issue with the show is the handling of the detective himself. It’s clear that Dunnit is supposed to act as the only sane man surrounded by big comedic personalities, and I can’t help but think that despite an undeniably strong performance from Sunshine Wirrmann, the character himself was lost in the shuffle somewhat, and in a story intended to serve as a parody of the murder mystery genre it feels slightly strange to have the central character just be a earnest Poirot-type figure. Leaning into Dunnit’s moral dilemma outlined in “The Letter of the Law”, where he struggles with the idea of rewarding a murderer, could have helped here, as could making the character slightly less formal or infallible.
Nevertheless, Making a Killing is a fantastic demonstration of UMMTS’s skill in writing, performing and producing. To have put on a full, two-hour musical at all with the time and budget available would be impressive, but Aidan Fyfe, Tommy Schofield, and everyone else involved should be incredibly proud to have crafted a show as witty, energetic, and legitimately charming as this.
