Whodidit

Whodidit? was an absolute triumph of chaos, hilarity and self-awareness, staged in the small but intimate Pinewood Theatre. From the moment I stepped through the doors and was greeted by Archibald Cambridgeshire’s overzealous welcome (complete with programme and a ticket to the much-coveted meat raffle – starring Fray Bentos pie and Billy Bear ham), I knew this would be no ordinary evening at the theatre.

The attention to detail before the show even began was nothing short of inspired: crew members fussing, a “child” kicking a football about in the auditorium, and the odd cigarette break at the fire exit. It felt gloriously authentic, a parody of amateur dramatics that any theatre-lover would immediately recognise.

The script itself was cleverly written – though at times difficult to follow, this seemed entirely deliberate. The joy of the piece lies in its carefully constructed incompetence: terrible blocking, overblown sound effects, collapsing tech, and cast members missing cues with perfect precision. It takes real skill to “act badly” without slipping into parody, and the EBOS cast achieved this beautifully.

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