‘Murder at Ackerton Manor’ sustains its farcical momentum while keeping its whodunnit machinery firmly in place.
Steven Gallagher’s Murder at Ackerton Manor, directed by the playwright himself, approaches the murder-mystery form as both affectionate homage and high-spirited spoof.
The production begins from a familiar murder-mystery premise: a stormy night, an imposing house, and a gathering of suspects with more to conceal than they first admit.
Sound designer Maddie Bautista establishes the atmosphere with rolling thunder and flashes of storm, while set designer Brandon Kleiman creates a Gothic English parlour of dark wood panelling, heavy furniture, plush curtains, and carefully chosen period props. The set proves sturdy enough to withstand the production’s repeated door-slamming entrances and exits. Kleiman, who also designed the costumes, gives each character a sharply defined visual identity suited to the play’s parade of eccentrics.
The Thousand Islands Playhouse bills the story as: loathsome and dastardly Roger Ackerton meets an untimely end on a stormy British night. There’s a body (read: bodies as the play progresses), a missing diamond, mistaken identities, and a house full of suspects who harbour secrets that are ultimately revealed. A slightly bumbling, haughty detective, Pierre Pierrot, enters and must untangle all the lies before the killer strikes again.
Stage manager Melanie St-Jacques and assistant Caitlin Mears are also central to the production’s success. The comedy depends on exact timing, with entrances, exits, props, and costume changes requiring precise coordination throughout.
Gallagher’s script pays clear respect to the Agatha Christie tradition while exaggerating its conventions for comic effect. The pacing remains brisk, and the staging uses blackouts strategically to support entrances, exits, and rapid costume changes without interrupting the production’s momentum.
Kristopher Bowman, Aaron Reid Ryder, and Ashley Botting are billed simply as Actor 1, Actor 2, and Actor 3, a choice that reflects the production’s reliance on quick transformations and theatrical surprise. Their spotlit monologues give the suspects heightened, almost Shakespearean flourishes, and the performers handle the shifts in tone with assurance.
The three performers are the production’s chief attraction, balancing broad comic business with the control needed to keep the farce from becoming chaotic.
Their responsiveness to one another is especially important in a staging that leaves little margin for error. When unexpected moments arise, the performers adjust quickly and keep the comic rhythm intact, allowing the sense of play onstage to carry into the audience.
Identifying each role played by Bowman, Ryder, and Botting would lessen some of the production’s comic surprises; the pleasure lies partly in watching the transformations unfold.
Murder at Ackerton Manor emerges as a polished ensemble farce, notable not only for its visible performances but also for the backstage precision that keeps the production moving.
For audiences drawn to classical murder-mystery conventions and expertly timed comic performances, the production offers a lively, well-controlled afternoon or evening at the theatre. Please see it.
Running time: approximately two hours with one interval/intermission.
The production runs until September 13 at the Springer Theatre, 185 South Street, Gananoque. For tickets: call (613) 382-7020, visit www.1000islandsplayhouse.com or email boxoffice@1000islandsplayhouse.com.
THE THOUSAND ISLANDS PLAYHOUSE presents
Murder at Ackerton Manor by Steven Gallagher
Directed by Steven Gallagher
Set and Costume Designer: Brandon Kleiman
Lighting Designer: Siobhán Sleath
Sound Designer: Maddie Bautista
Stage Manager: Melanie St-Jacques
Performers: Kristopher Bowman as Actor 1, Aaron Reid Ryder as Actor 2, Ashley Botting as Actor 3
