What comes after happily ever after? Murder, of course. But how does one
commit murder in a ladylike fashion? Look no further than the Victoria College Drama Societyʼs production of A Ladylike Murder.
The play, which acts as a commentary on Victorian life and modern day pressures, features dark comedy and an impressive cast with perfect delivery.
Entirely student-written, directed, and composed, A Ladylike Murder tackles issues of conforming in the face of peer pressure. Oddly enough, the conformation does not go entirely as expected, revealing some hilariously surprising moments that went over well with the audience.
While the show draws on concepts from and in moments is similar to productions such as Wicked or classic Brothers Grimm tales, it has originality in its compounding of these shows. Overall, it presents itself as a generally upbeat, twisted, classic Disney movie: essentially taking the character of Belle, putting her in Cinderellaʼs storyline, and letting all hell break loose.
The vibrant, jewel-toned costumes that clearly indicate what side of society the characters belong to are well done and add a lot to the production and the structure of the storyline. The set, simple but effective, was well used in every scene and added visual depth to the show as a whole.
The first act had some truly hilarious, purposely cheesy moments that made the audience cringe, which seemed to be the point. The dark humour of the show was best seen in the second act. The over-the-top aspect of some of the romantic portions acted as a means for the writer to joke with the audience about the situations and the ridiculousness of some of the plot.
What was really apparent and added great context to the show was the incorporation of many different and distinct personalities and backstories for the secondary characters. A fellow show-goer commented on the consistent personalities they managed to maintain throughout the show. The maid had us rooting for her, the gossipy womenʼs group had us laughing, and the hilariously judgmental old boys’ club had its own quintessential moments.
The show was well-received with the audience and incorporated many aspects of dark and light-hearted humour. The music was tasteful and the performance of the cast was truly exceptional.
