Alia Marshall
As I make my way down to BATS to see Poprox’s improvised murder mystery Farce Onion, I can’t help but think they’ve chosen the perfect time of year for it. The wind howls outside, there’s a sprinkling of rain, the conditions are perfect for some homicide. Farce Onion is, of course, a play on the Glass Onion murder mystery films, which I must admit I have not seen, but I have seen Knives Out, so I’m not going in completely blind. However, this is my first rodeo with murder mystery improv, and I have no clue what to expect.
We enter The Stage at BATS to find the detective (Jed Davies) sitting on an armchair centrestage, his face obscured by a newspaper, but I’m immediately drawn in by the sound. Good house music as the audience enters does wonders for setting up the atmosphere before the lights go down, and boy oh boy does the music impress. Siblings Amy and Lia Kelly make up the two person orchestra, with Amy on the violin and Lia on the keys, who play a rendition of the Glass Onion theme before the show begins. I want to give a huge shoutout to these two, who play the entire show without faltering, sharing smiles throughout as if they know something we don’t. Despite the stripped back nature of the set, there’s an unmissable attention to detail. I notice flashes of a camera in the left stage entrance, a very nice touch.
The format of this show is relatively simple. The person playing detective every night changes, and so too does the setting and murder weapon based on the audience’s input - ours were ‘Milan Fashion Week’ and ‘a Form’ (which is the mannequin thing that garments are placed on, who knew?). This is about as much input as we get, the players fill in the rest. Through a series of character building games and mimed scene setting, the basis of the story is formed. Improv tends to rely on a lot more offers from the audience, but in this case that isn’t necessary. Watching these pros come up with a whole world for their characters based on two offers is impressive, and the way they tie it together shows just how much thought has been put into this.
Out of these two offers we get so, so much. We’re introduced to characters such as Miranda (Nina Hogg) from Ashburton who definitely isn’t in the army, or model Zee Zapps (Austin Harrison), the ex husband of Patricia Priesly (Tara McEntee) who is head of Fashion the Magazine. I have to keep reminding myself that these characters were all made up within a few short minutes because at times it feels like we’re watching a scripted play. There’s a few moments where someone interrupts, or an offer is cut short, but that’s to be expected from improv - after all, it is off the cuff. Watching the players on the side of stage giggling away at their comrades doing a scene is one of my favourite parts, it’s like they’re briefly with us in the seats cheering their friends on.
We’re treated to a number of ridiculous scenes, from Cleopatra Satin’s (Millie Osborne) stalking misadventures, to an intimate crumpet feeding ritual between Zee Zapps and Phillipe Mignon (Dylan Hutton). Each new detail and addition to the story is more absurd than the last, culminating in the revelation of the murder. Davies as the detective manages the flow of the show with skilful ease, I almost wish I could go every night to see how it changes based on the new detective and different offers.
By the end, it feels as though we’ve solved the puzzle ourselves, as if the players weren’t meticulously paying attention to the details to ensure a coherent narrative. The ending feels so perfect that if you’d told me it was scripted, I would have believed you. The Poprox team are some of Pōneke’s best improvisers, each player brings a different strength that compliments the rest, like improv power rangers.
Farce Onion will turn any improv skeptic into an improv lover, speaking as an improv skeptic. When the show ended I was disappointed only because I wanted it to span the length of the Glass Onion movie, I was having that much fun. Treat yourself to some Poprox, you’ll truly get a one of a kind experience.
Farce Onion has unfortunately closed, but you can book tickets to their routine shows at Circa here!
The format of this show is relatively simple. The person playing detective every night changes, and so too does the setting and murder weapon based on the audience’s input - ours were ‘Milan Fashion Week’ and ‘a Form’ (which is the mannequin thing that garments are placed on, who knew?). This is about as much input as we get, the players fill in the rest. Through a series of character building games and mimed scene setting, the basis of the story is formed. Improv tends to rely on a lot more offers from the audience, but in this case that isn’t necessary. Watching these pros come up with a whole world for their characters based on two offers is impressive, and the way they tie it together shows just how much thought has been put into this.
Out of these two offers we get so, so much. We’re introduced to characters such as Miranda (Nina Hogg) from Ashburton who definitely isn’t in the army, or model Zee Zapps (Austin Harrison), the ex husband of Patricia Priesly (Tara McEntee) who is head of Fashion the Magazine. I have to keep reminding myself that these characters were all made up within a few short minutes because at times it feels like we’re watching a scripted play. There’s a few moments where someone interrupts, or an offer is cut short, but that’s to be expected from improv - after all, it is off the cuff. Watching the players on the side of stage giggling away at their comrades doing a scene is one of my favourite parts, it’s like they’re briefly with us in the seats cheering their friends on.
We’re treated to a number of ridiculous scenes, from Cleopatra Satin’s (Millie Osborne) stalking misadventures, to an intimate crumpet feeding ritual between Zee Zapps and Phillipe Mignon (Dylan Hutton). Each new detail and addition to the story is more absurd than the last, culminating in the revelation of the murder. Davies as the detective manages the flow of the show with skilful ease, I almost wish I could go every night to see how it changes based on the new detective and different offers.
By the end, it feels as though we’ve solved the puzzle ourselves, as if the players weren’t meticulously paying attention to the details to ensure a coherent narrative. The ending feels so perfect that if you’d told me it was scripted, I would have believed you. The Poprox team are some of Pōneke’s best improvisers, each player brings a different strength that compliments the rest, like improv power rangers.
Farce Onion will turn any improv skeptic into an improv lover, speaking as an improv skeptic. When the show ended I was disappointed only because I wanted it to span the length of the Glass Onion movie, I was having that much fun. Treat yourself to some Poprox, you’ll truly get a one of a kind experience.
Farce Onion has unfortunately closed, but you can book tickets to their routine shows at Circa here!