Dead on Time – A Moving Murder Mystery review

Stewart J Charlesworth’s sumptuous, playful costumes mix period-appropriate styles with exaggerated decorative details to create playful confections that help to quickly establish each character’s personality, from the reserved to the flamboyant. Stiff silks and chunky tweeds clash in hot pinks and acid greens, while antique gold and rich navy blue add mellow contrasts.

The performance takes place alongside a five-course lunch, provided by the train’s precise and professional serving staff who gamely indulge our suspicious questioning and drop helpful, plot-relevant hints as they fill up our glasses. The food itself is excellent: an unpretentious menu showcasing fresh British ingredients with dishes ranging from a rich but not overpoweringly earthy beetroot soup, to slow-cooked lamb served with a refreshing pea-and-mint puree.

Though the brief tableside visits we receive from the actors can be a little too fleeting to get to grips with the mystery fully, the systematic pacing ensures we never feel rushed. While the tone here is firmly tongue in cheek, the cast gives committed, scenery-chewing performances.

Shamira Turner stands out as dubious doctor Bobby Cygnus, sweeping down the carriage dispensing pills and pointed hints that implicate just about everyone. Barbara D’Alterio makes a memorable impression as charity committee president Felicity, a fussy busybody whose forceful personality and nosy nature give her insight into all of our suspects’ underhanded business. Meanwhile, Dennis Herdman draws his own share of suspicion as put-upon industrialist Ivan, keeping close track of his employees, his volatile business backers and, inevitably, some significant secrets of his own.