Reviewed by Caroline Stafford
Childhood nostalgia meets Agatha Christie-esque locked room murder mystery in Murder on the Magic School Bus, brought to this year’s Fringe Festival by The Lavender Collective. An hour-long performance of light jokes and textbook-accurate forensic investigation, this play sees six university students take a field trip with Miss Frizzle that takes an all too real turn when one of them is murdered before they even reach their destination. They must then work together to use the skills that they have learnt during their course to figure out which among them took ‘lab demonstration’ a little too seriously.
The staging is seemingly deliberately minimalist - consisting of a single row of old-school bus seats and a series of ‘roll on’ set pieces and props that enhance specific scenes. The fuss-free set works well to centre the action and to add to the cramped ‘locked room’ trope. The roll-on set pieces are nice to give the audience focus point specific scenes or punchlines, but they do read more pantomime than perhaps intended. Another interesting element to note in the staging of the overall piece was the audio design. It is subtle, but there is an ever-present hum or low hubbub of background noise, as would be evident in a bus. It layers nicely with the action to seamlessly amp up the tension of the work. One element that could have added more dimension was the lighting. It didn’t vary too noticeably, staying flat and bright unless there were spotlights on individual characters giving direct-to-audience soliloquies. Some subtle shifts here and there would add depth to the stage, which, due to the long line of bus seats, was at times a bit flat and one-dimensional.
The acting is where this show really shows its skills. With a medium-sized cast, there might have been space for some less engaging performances, but not in this group. All cast members embody their diverse characters with skill and enjoyable characterisation. There is a noticeable comfort that sets in towards the second half of the show, where the actors seem to loosen up a tad as they settle into their character’s motives. With such a limited narrative and stripped-back staging, the engagement of the audience mostly relies on the characterisation of individual players. They give us intrigue, mystery and motive. It was very satisfying to see the way that even small gestures, body language and costuming choices all add together to make every single member look deliciously suspicious. Standout performances come from Jamie, the pre-med bookworm who seems to unravel as the show progresses, and Sam the loveable jock (of an undefined sport) who steals the show with her physical comedy. Finally, it would be remiss not to mention the standout performance from Kate O’Sullivan as ‘the Frizz’ herself. With a uniquely transatlantic accent, it’s a Friz that is different to the source material but works well to create a creepily overly enthusiastic conductor. She seamlessly keeps the show running mechanically smoothly but whips up the action nicely to send the audience careening towards selecting a suspect.
In summary, The Lavender Collective has created a neat little whodunnit that gives thoroughly modern Christie, with up-to-date motives and flawlessly worked in queer storylines. While I do wish it was either creepier or camper, it is an OK medium that will appeal to many audiences. Surf on some soundwaves, swing through the stars and take a left towards Murder on the Magic School Bus this Fringe.
Reviewer Note: Tickets for this review were provided by the theatre company. It should be noted that the founder of this site is directly involved in the production, but has had no part in the writing of this review.
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