Not A Murder Mystery at the Drayton Arms Theatre – A Backstage Thriller With Biting Wit

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Those formidable ladies! Photo credit Lily Renshaw

If you’ve ever sat through a slightly-too-earnest murder mystery and thought, “I’d love to see what was going on behind that curtain,” then Not A Murder Mystery at the Drayton Arms Theatre is for you. Written by Peter Rae and directed by Helen Bang, this razor-sharp backstage comedy peels back the layers of amateur dramatics, professional insecurities, and the unexpected chaos of opening night.

Set entirely in the dressing room of a not-quite-West-End (read: regional) theatre, the action takes place in real time as a cast prepares to debut their brand new murder mystery. Tensions run high as Sebastian Fawn—a skittish first-time theatre director with a successful career directing sanitary towel adverts—tries to wrangle his mismatched cast into something vaguely resembling coherence.

The on-stage dynamics are a joy to watch. There’s something genuinely electric about the chemistry between the trio of women at the centre of the show—Helen Bang, Rosalind Blessed, and Laura Morgan. These are performers in their prime, playing characters who know their way around both the stage and life. Their interplay is full of side-eyes, barbed compliments, and the kind of layered familiarity that only comes with long friendships (and long feuds).

Peter Rae, also the writer, appears as the inspector—possibly. He plays it straight with just enough of a glimmer to make you question everything. James MacKay brings charm and cheekbones as the token young male lead, hilariously caught between admiration, confusion, and the general bedlam unfolding around him.

Under Bang’s confident direction, the pacing is tight and the energy never dips. There’s a delicious theatricality to the whole piece, with nods to backstage mishaps, artistic egos, and that age-old question: will the show go on… even if someone gets murdered?

Canonbie Productions—also behind the award-nominated An Absolute Farce of a Murder Mystery and Don’t Take The Pith!—has crafted another gem. This new piece walks the line between parody and homage, celebrating the madness of small-scale theatre while never punching down. There’s real affection here, and the writing sparkles with smart, character-driven humour.

Yes, it’s a play about putting on a play. And yes, it’s all a bit meta. But that’s part of the charm. By the end, the lines between fiction and reality have blurred in the best possible way—and you’ll be left wondering if art is imitating life… or vice versa.

🎟 Not A Murder Mystery plays at the Drayton Arms Theatre, 153 Old Brompton Road, SW5 0LJ.

Tickets cost £20. Drayton Arms Theatre