Still Searching for Clues at the ‘Murder at River Crossing Book Club’ (Review)
Live In Theater takes its brand of interactive mystery entertainment online
Live In Theater has long been a staple of the immersive background here in New York City, providing murder mystery-themed events regularly throughout the year. For this writer, after I was bit by the immersive theatre bug, Live In Theater was one of my go-to companies to find more shows in this exciting new medium, with experiences often set during NYC’s rich history such as The Lombardi Case 1975 and The Ryan Case 1873. Having seen a majority of the company's offerings in the past, I was excited to see what the team would be bringing to the online world of entertainment.
Having just returned to NYC from sheltering in place for four months in North Carolina, I was looking forward to getting stuck into a gritty city drama from one of the staples of the immersive backdrop in New York City. Imagine my surprise, though, when we were to be taken back to the South for this evening of murder mystery played “somewhere” in North Carolina, complete with Southern drawl.
The evening is laid out in an almost identical fashion to the other shows that I’ve seen this company produce in the past in physical space, with each member of the audience being cast as an investigative journalist/semi-detective invited to the scene of a crime. For tonight’s press preview, a team of strangers has been brought together on Zoom (the game has both private and public bookings). Mrs. Ursula Fitzroy, a wealthy Southern belle, and philanthropist has been found dead. It’s an accidental death according to the police. So it is up to us, the audience, to speak with witnesses and to uncover the truth behind her death.
(Light spoilers follow.)
In a pre-COVID world, teams of journalists in a Live In Theater show are usually sent out into the local neighborhood to search for the witnesses on the sidewalks of NYC. But for this evening, Zoom breakout rooms would do the trick. The in-world reasoning behind a Zoom investigation is never made entirely clear, other than Dr. Pissum — our host for the evening and also a potential suspect — telling us that we need to keep ourselves “safe.”
We meet a range of Southern stereotypes through the course of the Murder at River Crossing Book Club experience; the redneck overall-wearing Mullet, the well-spoken Judge Thomas, the school teacher Tilson Wright, and the naive country girl Abigail. They had all been present at the book club that evening before an argument erupted. And what do you know? Mrs. Fitzroy was found dead later that night.
Through discussion, investigation, and leading questions, we learn more about each character and their motivations. Revelations appear to our breakout group. There was more than one reveal which probably should have had a content warning, which to the best of my knowledge wasn’t made available. The character archetypes and Southern mannerisms were strong, which probably made the evening feel more fun and lighthearted. But for me, it felt a little “on the nose” at times.
Much of the entertainment for the evening, as is the case for most murder mystery events I have been to, comes from the audience itself as opposed to the staged creation. Our breakout room of around a dozen or so people had a wide mix of ages (and levels of technological prowesses...) and a much wider mix of personalities. More than once we found ourselves open-mouthed at shocking admissions, with well-intended “I told you so’s” being lauded between on-screen participants. To conspire, discuss, and laugh alongside a mix of strangers is one of the joys of a Live In Theater show, and it is good to see that this does not change when taking the show online, and I know that the private bookings to come will enjoy sharing in these moments together as well.
To be clear, Murder at River Crossing Book Club is a very well put together murder mystery event. The Zoom format works well, with breakout rooms being utilized appropriately. Enough time is given to participants to discuss and then present their conclusions to the entire gathering. Having run several similar events myself this summer, it was affirming to see that I had been running my murder mystery events in the “right” way, following the same format as this professional production (although I personally found that having two rounds of questioning each suspect can be helpful).
But I did find myself coming away from the evening asking myself, What makes this show any different from all of the amateur murder mysteries being run across the world right now by camp counselors and friend groups wanting a chance to connect? After all, murder mystery content packs are a dime a dozen online and readily available for anyone to set up their own evening of entertainment.
The Murder at River Crossing Book Club cast is exceptional, filled with talented actors and improvisers, who I am sure have been well trained for the experience. They share what they need to, but can be cagey and aloof, and of course, they all act as surprised as you are when secrets are made public. The story is also well constructed, with a few of the customary logical stretches needed to reach some of the conclusions that the creators want the audience to make. And the digital props are nice, with a PDF laid out like a detective’s notebook. However, other than the actors, there was nothing here that I couldn’t do for myself if I wanted to and there wasn’t anything that felt like a new twist or take on the remote experience.
Murder mysteries are a unique wing of the immersive entertainment sphere. In many ways, they are one of the most established forms of our specialized entertainment and provide an entryway into deeper experiences. It is a great way for people to put themselves into the story, and to play a character (whether a sleuth or a suspect). With Murder at River Crossing Book Club Live In Theater does everything for you, all you need to do is find a group of friends, sign up, and sleuth away. But for me, the beauty of a murder mystery comes from the organization of it myself, for my own group of friends, casting each another in roles (both suitable or unsuitable), and enjoying the evening of make-believe together, particularly in a time such as this, where our interaction with each other has been limited to the online.
Does Murder at River Crossing Book Club provide a solid evening of murderous entertainment? Yes. But does Murder at River Crossing Book Club provide a meaningful addition or new perspective to the current state of online immersive entertainment? Not really.
I am thankful to the team at Live In Theater for adapting their work for the online market right now, and while I did enjoy the evening, it left me looking for more clues as to how to “solve” the remote immersive experience conundrum.
Murder at River Crossing Book Club continues through October 3. Tickets are $29. The experience is also available for private bookings.
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