You may think you know what to expect from a musical called Murder on the Allotment, but Elizabeth Wood’s funny and unexpectedly moving production has more than a few surprises growing beneath the surface.
Seventeen-year-old refugee Karwan, played by Seraphim Gumede, disturbs the tranquillity of a provincial allotment when he is given a plot ahead of those on the waiting list. “He probably gets priority on the housing list too,” spits Virginia, played by Katherine Glasson, to her companion Hugh, played by Bret Jones. Moments later, the pair launch into a song proudly declaring their acceptance of diversity, apparently oblivious to the contradiction between their words and behaviour. It is one of the musical’s sharpest and funniest observations.
Karwan’s loneliness is sensitively conveyed through his telephone calls home. He assures one person that life is “brilliant here”, before another conversation exposes his true isolation.
Wood was inspired to write the musical after meeting a young refugee living in the New Forest, and that sense of humanity runs throughout the production.
Hugh initially offers to take Karwan under his wing, but resentment takes root when Karwan wins the coveted allotment prize. His bitterness and alcoholism emerge through Jones’s performance, while Virginia develops an almost maternal affection for Karwan after his smile reminds her of the son she lost. Their tender connection provides the musical’s emotional heart and brought tears to my eyes.
The Cockpit Theatre in Gateforth Street is an intimate theatre, bringing the audience close to both the comedy and confrontation. The simple set imaginatively establishes the competing allotment plots and their changing seasons, proving that theatre does not require elaborate scenery to create a convincing world. Even the mysterious stuffed allotment cat has its role to play. The unfussy contemporary costumes suit the everyday setting and allow the personalities of the three characters to take centre stage.
Gumede gives Karwan vulnerability, dignity and a beautiful singing voice. Glasson balances Virginia’s ignorance with warmth and genuine remorse, while Jones brings comedy and menace to the increasingly unstable Hugh, or “Who”, as Karwan calls him. The cast’s natural chemistry is one of the production’s greatest strengths.
Directed by musical director Tess Adèle Glinert, the eleven original songs move between satire and sadness without allowing the show’s political message to overwhelm its humanity. The story avoids simple heroes and villains, instead asking where prejudice begins and whether understanding can help uproot it.
Funny, provocative and unexpectedly touching, Murder on the Allotment is a small musical with some very big things to say. Bring your gardening gloves and, unexpectedly, a tissue.