Murder at Midnight

Original Theatre in association with Joshua Beaumont & Huw Allen present
Mon 19 Jan 2026 - Sat 24 Jan 2026

★★★★★ Scorching... very funny! The one-liners are whiplash fast and laugh out loud

Behind The Arras

A comedy thriller by Torben Betts

Directed by Philip Franks

Starring national favourites Jason Durr (Heartbeat, Casualty), Susie Blake (Victoria Wood’s as Seen on TV, Coronation Street) and Max Bowden, best known for his role as Ben Mitchell in EastEnders, and Katie McGlynn (Waterloo Road, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks).

A killer night out!

From the writer of Murder in the Dark comes a deliciously twisted crime caper like no other.

It’s New Year’s Eve in a quiet corner of Kent and a killer is in the house…

We meet Jonny ‘The Cyclops’ - the notorious gangster, his glamorous wife, his trigger-happy sidekick, his mum—who’s seeing things, her very jittery carer, plus a vicar who’s hiding something, and a nervous burglar dressed as a clown. 

Throw in a suitcase full of cash, a stash of deadly weapons, and one infamous unsolved murder… What could possibly go wrong?

Join us for a murder mystery with a difference. One house. Seven suspects and a Murder at Midnight…

Written by acclaimed playwright Torben Betts and produced by the award-winning Original Theatre (Birdsong, Murder in the Dark, The Mirror Crack’d), Murder at Midnight is a gripping murder mystery filled with twists, chilling suspense and wickedly dark humour – guaranteed to keep you guessing until the final stroke of midnight.

 

Reviews

★★★★ "It would be a crime to miss it... A thrilling night of twists and turns"  - Beyond the Curtain

★★★★ "The entire audience were captivated from beginning to end"  - Beyond the Curtain

★★★★ "Genius There are not many performances that make me literally jump out of my seat, but this is one of. If you enjoy dark thrillers that are also hilarious, I thoroughly recommend." -  Poppy, Jo and Me

"It'd be a crime to miss out!" - Kev Castle Theatre Reviews

★★★★★  "Comedy gold... one of the funniest things you will see in theatre in this, or any other year." - Fashion Mommy

★★★★★ - "Terrific... a screwball comedy. Some of the best comic writing I've seen in a long time." Switch Radio

★★★★★ "This is the show of the season... You'll never guess whodunnit!" - Switch Radio

★★★★ "Twists, turns and killer laughs" - The Recs

★★★★ "If Tarantino directing an episode of Inside No 9 sounds like your thing, make a date for midnight."  - The Recs
 
★★★★ "Outstanding... An absolutely stellar cast and every single one put in a top performance! A treat... Don’t miss it"  - Culture Bab

Additional Information

Age Recommendation: 14+, This production contains strong language, violence and depictions of drug use. For more content warnings click here.

 

Accessible performances

Audio Described by Caroline Burn | Wed 21 Jan 2026 at 8.00pm. Touch Tour: 7.00pm. 

BSL by Cheryl P Walker | Thu 22 Jan 2026 at 2.30pm

 

Cast

Jason Durr - Jonny

After training at LAMDA Jason headed straight to Stratford and the Royal Shakespeare Company, working with director Trevor Nunn in Measure for Measure and The Blue Angel, followed by Macbeth directed by Adrian Noble. 
 
Theatre: includes Losing Louis (Hampstead Theatre/Trafalgar Studios); Volcano (West End - Vaudeville Theatre); Follow my Leader (Hampstead Theatre/Birmingham Repertory Theatre); Sherlock Holmes - The Best Kept Secret (West Yorkshire Playhouse and UK Tour); Contact.com (Park Theatre); Black Coffee (Theatre Royal Windsor and UK Tour); A Chorus Line (Sheffield Crucible)l; Way Up Stream (Chichester Festival Theatre), Cluedo 2 (Tour); Wrong Side of The Rainbow (Donmar Warehouse); The Destiny Of Me (Haymarket Theatre) and Donkeys’ Years (Rose Theatre). 
 
Television: includes Above Suspicion, Inspector Morse, Midsummer Murders, Lewis, New Tricks, Numb3rs, Agatha Christie’s Marple: The Blue Geranium, Mysterious Island, The Paradise Club, Femme Fatale, Medics, Summer Solstice, Christmas, A Dark Adapted Eye, Fooling Hitler, Winter Solstice, Sharpe’s Battle, Iphigenia at Aulis, Bugs, Gawain and The Green Knight, The Chief, Jupiter Moon, Heartbeat, Holby City, Casualty and Shakespeare and Hathaway. 
 
Film: includes Young Soul Rebels,The Killer Tongue,True True Lie and Down Dog.

@actorjasondurr

Susie Blake - Shirley

 
 
For Original Theatre: Murder in the Dark and Agatha Christie’s The Mirror Crack’d. 
 
Theatre: includes Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical (Dominion Theatre & Hall for Cornwall); My Fair Lady (Grange Festival); Some Mothers Do Av Em (UK Tour); Murder Margaret and Me (York Theatre Royal); Grumpy Old Women Live 3 (UK Tour); Cider with Rosie (UK Tour); Aladdin (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre); The Importance of Being Earnest A New Musical (Riverside Studios); When We Are Married (Garrick Theatre); Pygmalion (Chichester Festival Theatre); Grumpy Old Women Live 2 (UK Tour and Novello Theatre); Bertha in Boeing, Boeing (on Tour); Snake in the Grass and Life and Beth (Stephen Joseph Theatre and on Tour); Wicked  (Apollo Victoria); High Society (UK Tour); Noises Off  (National Theatre); A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum (Regents Park Theatre); Virtual Reality (Stephen Joseph Theatre); The Shakespeare Revue (RSC); Absent Friends  (West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Lyric, Hammersmith); Prin (Lyric, Hammersmith) and Blithe Spirit (Royal Exchange). 
  
Television: includes Silky Hotel (BBC iPlayer); Kate & Koji (Series 1&2, ITV); Not Going Out (BBC One); The Real Marigold Hotel (BBC One); Casualty (BBC One); Murder on the Blackpool Express (UKTV); The Cockfields (BBC); Cuckoo (Series 3); New Tricks (BBC); You, Me and Them (UKTV Gold); Murder on the Homefront (Carnival Film and Television); Mrs Brown's Boys (Series 3&2, BBC); Series regular Beverley Unwin in Coronation Street (ITV); Great Night Out (ITV); Parents for Sky; The Crossing (BBC); House of Rooms (Channel 4); Doctors (BBC); Wild At Heart (ITV); Roger (BBC); Sunburn (BBC); A Prince Among Men (2 series, BBC); April Fools’ Day (ITV); Eleven Men Against Eleven (Channel 4); Wake up with... (ITV); A Year in Provence (BBC); The Wail of The Banshee (Central TV); The Darling Buds Of May (YTV); Blore (BBC 4); Singles (4 Series, YTV) and The Victoria Wood Show (BBC.) 
  
Film: includes Nativity 3 and Fierce Creatures with John Cleese.

@iamsusieblake

Max Bowden

Max just finished starring in Midnight Cowboy at Southwark Playhouse playing the iconic role of Ratso. Prior to this he starred in the national tour of Bird song, Sebastian Faulks's epic tale oflove and loss, returning to the stage in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the internationally best-selling novel, playing the role of Jack Firebrace. 

He is best known for playing series regular ‘Ben Mitchell’ in BBC One’s long-running series,Eastenders, from 2019-2024. Before that, he played a leading role in season 10 of the first incarnation of the BAFTA nominated popular drama, Waterloo Road on BBC One.

His theatre roles include Elegies For Punks & Raging Queens at Charing Cross Theatre, OnlyThe Braveat Soho Theatre, in addition to roles in Punk Rock and Billy Elliot.

Katie McGlynn - Lisa 


 
NTA award-winning actress Katie McGlynn has been captivating audiences since she was just 16-years old, landing her first lead role in the hit BBC drama Waterloo Road as the fiery, rebellious Jodie 'Scout' Allen filmed in her hometown of Rochdale. After three incredible series, she was then cast as the bubbly Sinead Tinker in ITV’s flagship soap Coronation Street. 
 
It was in this role that Katie truly made her mark, receiving a National Television Award for Best Serial Drama Performance and even gaining a BAFTA TV nomination for their ‘Must See Moment’ award for Sinead’s death scenes. Over her seven years on the cobbles, Katie brought a dynamic blend of humour and heart-wrenching emotion to her character, proving her incredible versatility as a performer. 
 
More recently, she has taken on some bold and complex roles. She played the troublemaking Georgina in the late Kay Mellor’s final instalment of The Syndicate (BBC), starred in a gripping, nine-month storyline as conspiracy theorist Becky Quentin on Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks – and embarked on her professional stage play debut as lead Cleo in acclaimed thriller author Peter James’ Wish You Were Dead tour.   
 
Beyond acting, Katie has made numerous TV appearances including competing in the 2021 series of Strictly Come Dancing (BBC), featuring in a Sport Relief special of The Greatest Dancer (ITV), and mastering the art of comedy on the Stand Up 2 Cancer charity special, Stand Up and Deliver (Channel 4). 
 
She also fronted a powerful self-shot smear test segment for ITV’s Lorraine, encouraging women across the UK to prioritise their cervical health – and joined BBC Morning Live fronting various features across the show as a guest presenter.

@katiexmcglynn

Callum Balmforth – Russell 

Training: RDDC (Redbridge Drama and Dance College) 
Theatre: includes Box of Delights (RSC Stratford); Hey Christmas Tree (Chichester Festival Theatre); Wendy and Peter Pan (Leeds Playhouse/Bunkamura) and Dick Whittington and His Cat (Cambridge Arts Theatre). 
Television: includes Doctors (BBC), 
Film: includes Queen Cleopatra (Netflix).

@callumbalmforth

Peter Moreton - Trainwreck 

Training: The Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Theatre: includes Witness For the Prosecution ( London County Hall ); Shakespeare in Love (West End); The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Chichester and West End); ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore (Cheek by Jowl, Barbican and international tour); i am Mark (Leicester Square Theatre, Arena Theatre Wolverhampton); In the Land of Uz – Sixty Six Books (Bush Theatre); The Three Musketeers (Rose Theatre); Love From a Stranger (The Mill at Sonning);  The Pros, the Cons and a Screw (Derby Live); Berlin Hanover Express (Hampstead Theatre); Hound of the Baskervilles (National Tour); My Night with Reg and Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick (New Vic Theatre Newcastle); Tales From the Vienna Woods (National Theatre); All My Sons (Theatre Royal York); The Prince of Homburg (RSC & Lyric Theatre Hammersmith); As You Like It (Sheffield Crucible and Lyric Theatre Hammersmith); Good (Donmar Warehouse); The Comedy of Errors (Propeller, International tour); Peter Pan and Rogues to Riches (Watermill Theatre Newbury); Measure for Measure (Barbican, Nottingham Playhouse and Edinburgh Festival); The Duchess of Malfi and Hamlet (Cheek by Jowl, international tours); Temptations and Betrayals (one-man shows, New End Theatre and Edinburgh Festival) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Aldeburgh Festival).

Television: includes Doctors, Vexed, Rosemary and Thyme, The Glass, Big Bad World, Grafters, Under the Moon, EastEnders, As Time Goes By, Van Der Valk, Dead Romantic and Lovejoy.

Film: includes The Secret Garden, Bodywork and Brides of Desire.

Radio and voice work: includes Cat of Bubastes, the Dragon and the Raven, A Patriot for Me, Sir Knight of the Splendid Way, Silas Marner, Basket of Flowers, In Company with Sondheim, The Chronicles of Narnia and Ben Hur.

@peter.moreton

Iryna Poplavska - Cristina

Iryna hails from Ukraine. Shortly after graduating from drama school in Kyiv, her career took off when she landed the lead role of Betty in the Ukrainian version of the worldwide TV franchise Ugly Betty. Iryna headlined the show to critical acclaim and starred in all 48 episodes. 
 
In 2023 Iryna relocated to London, where she was accepted into the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. There, she completed an MA in Acting for Screen and directed her first short film, A Knock Away. 
 
Iryna is thrilled to be making her theatrical debut in the UK in the premiere of Murder at Midnight. 

@icedevka

Bella Farr - Police Officer 

Bella graduated from Drama Studio London in 2019.

She made her professional and West End debut in The Mousetrap.

Theatre: includes Relatively Speaking, Noises Off (Theatre Royal Bath Productions).

Film: includes When the Screaming Starts (Riotous Films).

Andy McLeod - Police Officer

Theatre: includes Cosmic (Royal Court Liverpool); Children of the Night (CAST Doncaster); There Should Be Unicorns (Middle Child); User Not Found (UK & International Tour, Dante Or Die); Secret Life of Humans (Off Broadway Transfer, New Diorama); Down & Out in Paris and London, The Universal Machine, Kubrick3, The Dark Room (New Diorama); Macbeth (Kenneth More Theatre); Vassa Zheleznova, Enduring Song (Southwark Playhouse); Border Men (Kings Head Theatre) and Happy Dave (Smoke & Oakum). 
 
Television: includes A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (Season 1 & 2), The Gathering, The Outlaws, The Beast Must Die and Eastenders. 
 
Short Film: includes OCD & Chips, Eat Chips Love, Past Tense, The Nest and The Introduction. 

@andymcleod09

 

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