Murder-on-the-Lake
Shaw Festival 2025
Photo: Michael Cooper
Festival 2025/Murder-on-the-Lake, a Spontaneous Theatre creation by Rebecca Northan and Bruce Horak, directed by Rebecca Northan, Royal George Theatre, closes October 4.
At this point in my life, I’ve seen a few productions by Rebecca Northan and Bruce Horak, the creators of Spontaneous Theatre, and they have been brilliantly funny. But this latest one, Murder-on-the-Lake, might be the pièce de résistance. I thought I was going to laugh myself into a heart attack.
Spontaneous Theatre is, as it sounds, a play created before our eyes. But it’s not a total improvisation: there’s a defined structure within which the play is built. In this case, an audience member is chosen to be a rookie detective assigned to solve a cold case.
A year ago, a murder took place at a posh island B&B in Niagara, and this very weekend, all the people who were present when the woman – a very rich woman named Jan – supposedly died of a heart attack, are back at that same B&B for her memorial. In reality, the death was a poisoning caused by wolfbane found on the island, and a rookie detective, selected from the audience, is being sent in undercover to solve the murder.
Before the show starts, cast members—dressed as police—interview audience members in the theatre lobby to find their prospective detective who is told of their duties by the Niagara Region Police Chief (Rebecca Northan). On the day I attended, a charming young woman named Karen (if I recall her name correctly) was selected, and she threw herself into the role with gusto.
The ghost of the murdered woman—visible only to the detective and also played by Northan –coached the detective throughout the piece. Guided by the ghost, the rookie detective moved freely through the set, opened drawers, investigated clues, and hovered near characters to eavesdrop. As soon as she approached a group, the cast would launch into private conversations designed to be overheard—helping her piece together the puzzle. Guiding the rookie in real time—subtly nudging her with suggestions like, ‘Maybe check that drawer’ or ‘You might want to overhear that conversation’, kept the pacing crisp and ensured the mystery unfolded smoothly.
The suspects include the dead woman’s husband of just a few hours (Bruce Horak), a jealous friend of the dead woman who’d had an affair with the husband (Sochi Fried), the island owner’s nephew (Travis Seetoo) and his opportunistic girlfriend (Virgilia Griffith), the island’s manager (Cosette Derome), a dodgy doctor (Martin Happer), and a mysterious athletic guest (Kristopher Bowman). Everyone, it turns out, has a motive.
There is a narrative arc to Murder-on-the-Lake and within the improvisation characters do make a progression. Entrances and exits have been loosely choreographed under Northan’s direction, giving the show a stable movement. In other words, a story is unfolding around the rookie detective and is designed to help her solve the case. This play is, in fact, a brilliant example of a structured improv.
A standout element of the performance I saw was how seamlessly the cast picked up on everything the rookie detective said and did. For example, at one point, she referred to herself as Detective So-and-So and covered up her mistake by claiming it was her nickname in college. The cast latched on to that and ran with it, continually calling her by her nickname ‘Detective’.
Another time, when she opened a drawer and found a note, she quipped, ‘I’m Gen Z—I don’t read cursive,’ which brought the house down and became a running gag throughout the performance. The actors incorporated it instantly and kept referring to it, demonstrating their improvisational brilliance.
Eventually, the detective must make a decision, point to the killer and explain her reasoning. And on this night, Karen got it right. Her logic was flawless, and the rookie detective correctly identified the murderer—an act that allowed the ghost to finally rest in peace. When the detective guesses incorrectly, the ghost is doomed to linger on earth another night.
Apparently, many of the guest detectives do not get it right, and yet, this young woman, Karen, worked it out.
As a thank-you for volunteering, she and her boyfriend were given tickets to return and see the show again from the audience perspective.
John Gzowski’s music adds melodramatic flair—evoking 1940s/50s Hollywood suspense—and his sound cues, along with Jeff Pybus’ lighting cues are executed responsively, just like the action on stage. In other words, the technical team also performs live. Judith Bowden’s set evokes a lush, expensive island estate, and Rose Tavormina’s costumes underscore the wealth and elegance of the characters.
One fascinating twist is that at the end of each performance, the cast draws character names from a hat to determine whom they’ll play in the next show. So not only does the audience detective change, but the cast members constantly rotate through different roles—meaning no two performances are ever the same on two fronts, and the structure stays fresh for everyone.
In short, the performance is all spontaneous, but never chaotic. Structured, but never stiff. Disciplined but always creative. And, without a doubt, Murder-on-the-Lake is the funniest and most inventive show of the Shaw Festival season.