How To Solve A Problem Like Murder

London’s newest immersive theatre company lets loose a killer, and then asks you to find them

UnCorked Theatre exposes their underground secret after one year in the making

You’re sitting at home after a long day of work. Your boss gave you an ultimatum today: step up or get out. So you stayed late, only to keep a job you don’t enjoy. You cancelled plans with your girlfriend. She is not impressed. You’ve texted her three times. She hasn’t answered. You haven’t smoked in a year. It was hard to quit. Your father was an alcoholic. He didn’t win that fight. You remember both of these things as you reach for your carton of cigarettes hidden under the couch, and pour yourself a scotch on the rocks. Just as you’re about to light up, you turn around to see your entire family, standing in the kitchen, watching you.

Welcome, to UnCorked Jazz Theatre Company.

“I am obsessed with private moments. That is where the magic is. That is where the real story begins,” says the company’s artistic director, Christie Lee Manning. “By taking those moments and making them public, we have not only created an incredible show, we have created a lasting effect on everyone that has joined us behind those closed doors.”

Ironically, the show’s cover is set as an annual masquerade ball, where all guests must arrive wearing a mask. “Guests are asked to hide behind their social masks, while we expose ours,” says Manning.

Co-written by Lee Peter Hedges, the team combined their love for personal journey and twisted enigma, and created the perfect murder mystery, entitled ‘How To Solve A Problem Like Murder’. No one knows who’s died, or who’s killed. The only direction? You have precisely seventy-five minutes to figure it out, before the big unveil.

Paradise by way of Kensal Green has proved to the be perfect setting for this inaugural creation. This deeply characterised venue adds air and mystery to the production. The stage and audience area integrate together to work as one, breaking the fourth wall between the audience and performers. By the show’s conclusion, guests will leave with a feeling of curiosity that will remain long after they’ve left.

Guests should be prepared for an evening of entertainment, with drinks, interaction and discovery. It will not be a conventional performance, but an event that audience members will feel personally invited to participate in. You will question each characters’ motives as they take you on a journey of sex, deceit, and vulnerability. Uncover the clues, and watch as emotions are released and beliefs are uncorked. It will be up to you to solve the case, or else run the risk of being the show’s next victim.

So. Who wants to play?