The New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth, Hampshire, is hosting a comedy show called Murder, She Didn’t Write on the evening of February 19, 2026, where the audience helps create and solve a one-off murder mystery on stage.
The performance is created by a theatre group called Degrees of Error and is entirely improvised based on suggestions from the crowd. At the start of the night, audience members will choose the setting, the murder weapon, and which character becomes the victim.
A detective and a sidekick character named Jerkins lead the investigation to solve the crime based on the specific choices made by the viewers. Because the script is made up on the spot, every performance is a unique event that has not been written or rehearsed in advance.
The event takes place in the historic Victorian building on Guildhall Walk, which is a Grade II* listed site with approximately 667 seats. Portsmouth has a long history with this type of storytelling, as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the very first Sherlock Holmes mystery while living in the city.
According to Visit Portsmouth, the production offers a family-friendly night out that encourages people to participate in the local arts scene. The show arrives in the community after previous successful runs at large festivals and major theatre districts across the country.
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