CSI: CRIME SCENE IMPROVISATION

Underbelly Boulevard

★★★

“its mix of humour, inventiveness and on-the-spot storytelling remains a highly entertaining watch”

What do you get when you combine a man called Peter Butter, meteorology and cotton wool? ‘CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation’ of course! Fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe and on tour after twelve years of acclaim, this entirely improvised murder mystery proves anything can become a crime scene.

Someone’s been murdered and it’s up to the audience to crack the case. After inventing a victim, occupation and murder weapon, we must help unmask the killer before they strike again, with plenty of laughs along the way.

Co-creators Sarah Kempton and Lee Apsey have built a show entirely made up on the spot – which sounds both exhilarating and a little reckless! The audience supplies the victim before the cast – Kempton, Apsey, Danielle Downey, James Cann, Nicola Lucey and Steve Bond – construct an entire whodunnit from there, aided by further audience suggestions along the way. Thankfully, chaos is kept in check by a sturdy structure. Starting at the crime scene, the cast scatter bizarre clues and red herrings before whisking us to the victim’s workplace to investigate the fallout and identify the culprit. Guiding proceedings is Apsey’s lead detective, who deftly draws out clues and keeps the narrative moving, creating the satisfying illusion of a fully plotted mystery. It’s an inventive twist on the traditional murder mystery, though with no predetermined killer we’re not scrutinising clues in the usual way. Instead, the fun comes from watching the cast weave a coherent story from an increasingly absurd set of prompts. To their credit, the final reveal – delivered by Downey at this performance – expertly folds forgotten details and throwaway quirks into a confession worthy of the most melodramatic TV villain. The result is funny, quick-witted and flies by.

The show zips along at a good pace, rarely lingering on any one scene for too long which the cast frequently punctuates with sharp closing gags. Everyone is clearly listening closely, skilfully incorporating comments from both the audience and other performers to gradually build the mystery. There are plenty of strong laughs too, from an impromptu debate about the maximum weight of cotton wool to an unexpectedly passionate correction of someone’s hairstyle. Not every section lands quite as cleanly, however. While some scenes pop with energy, others are a touch too talkative, softening the pace and diluting the comic impact. The odd bout of crosstalk obscures a few good lines. As emcee, Apsey could inject a touch more urgency into proceedings, sitting somewhere between a character and a workshop facilitator. Despite the wonderfully ridiculous ingredients supplied by the audience, the story never quite reaches the gleeful absurdity its premise promises. Even so, it’s a solid, entertaining showcase of improvisational storytelling, packed with quick thinking and genuine laughs.

The six-strong cast do well to keep momentum going, while maintaining clear distinctions between multiroling characters. Downey throws herself into every role, combining quick-fire wit with a wonderfully expressive face. Cann has razor-sharp comic timing, landing plenty of laughs and making a recurring joke funnier each time. Kempton is particularly adept at noticing every offer, creating the most fully realised character of the evening through her consistently believable reactions. Bond shows pleasing range, effortlessly shifting between hapless and crafty. Apsey brings a warm, welcoming presence that encourages audience participation, though perhaps undercuts his detective persona. Meanwhile, Lucey’s understated approach conceals a sly comic edge, even if she could afford to be a touch bolder at times.

The design suits the show’s bare-bones aesthetic, with dramatic lighting and a coordinated costume palette adding polish with personality. Despite the cast wearing microphones, the amplification feels inconsistent – though I can only imagine how hard it is to operate a show with no cues!

Twelve years on, it’s easy to see the appeal of ‘CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation’. While not every case will be a perfect fit, its mix of humour, inventiveness and on-the-spot storytelling remains a highly entertaining watch.

CSI: CRIME SCENE IMPROVISATION

Underbelly Boulevard then UK tour continues

Reviewed on 18th September 2026

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Jayda Fogel

CSI: CRIME SCENE IMPROVISATION

★

“It may be a perfect day for Renton, but sadly, not for us”

There is always controversy, and also a certain predictability, when the counterculture becomes mainstream. The classic example of this is punk rock’s aggressive rejection of the music industry and society in the 1970s, which eventually turned into a conventional consumer commodity. No longer a threat, but accepted everyday life. There is sometimes irony in this, particularly when the original meaning is lost on its new audience. Lou Reed’s song ‘Perfect Day’ was incongruously picked up as the anthemic Children in Need charity single back in 1997. Did nobody examine the lyrics? As a love letter to heroin, however, it was an ideal choice for Danny Boyle’s film adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s gritty novel about Edinburgh heroin addicts. Already a massive cultural landmark of the nineties, the film revitalised modern British cinema.

One would hope that the musical treatment would have the same effect on London’s West End. Especially with Welsh himself at the helm, adapting his own novel and co-writing the original music and lyrics (with Stephen McGuinness) that sit alongside snippets of the iconic soundtrack from the film. It could be a triumph. And indeed, it is. A triumph of ambition over direction. The result is a senseless concoction of ideas that make a kindergarten brainstorming session look like rocket science. Practically every theatrical choice has no thought behind it.

Hats off to the cast, though, who dive headlong into their roles with the determination of an addict after their next fix. The commitment cannot be faulted, despite the occasional hesitation that betrays an unease with the material they have been handed. There is a moment when Spud (Kieran Andrew) questions why his fellow druggies keep bursting into song, echoing the audience’s bafflement. A moment of lucidity in the writing, perhaps, yet the self-referential humour is unsustained, leaving the potential for full-on parody unrealised.

Welsh’s novel, the subsequent stage adaptation and Boyle’s film follows the five principal characters in a stream-of-consciousness style. Its nonlinear plot allows differing perspectives that lead to a three-dimensional overview of these desperate characters. Director Caroline Jay Ranger’s staging flattens them in what is essentially a series of vignettes and songs plucked from a goody bag without rhyme or reason, leaving the actors to muddle through a mire of disjointed nonsense. Frankie O’Connor has muscle as the sociopathic Begbie but lacks the requisite menace. In short, we fail to believe. The harrowing moment when Rosie Dignan’s Alison loses her baby while she injects herself with heroin is obscured in clunky blocking and distraction – we are too busy wondering if this is a cue for another ill-fitting musical number.

Lewis Kidd, as Renton, has the charisma to bear the bulk of the narration, but we are told too much rather than being allowed to watch and make up our own minds. Renton’s parents (Rebecca McKinnis and Gordon Cooper) make an appearance in this musical version as expositional add-ons. Like the whole cast they have fine singing voices, but put to bewildering use. There are glimpses, however, for example the gospel-tinged reprise of Iggy Pop’s ‘Lust for Life’ which shows off the company’s rousing ensemble harmonies. Harmonies that simply don’t belong here, however, in much the same way that this story doesn’t belong in the plush surroundings of the Theatre Royal Haymarket. It is homogenised beyond recognition. Gone is all sense of subversion. Take away the expletives and we could be in a suburban school hall.

The run up to opening night was peppered with the question of why Welsh’s novel should be a musical. But then again, anything can be nowadays. On a positive note, “Trainspotting the Musical” defeats that argument. This dubious sense of optimism is reflected in the closing moments of the show, during which Renton shafts his so-called mates, steals their money and gleefully scarpers. A bit of a misguided message, especially when accompanied by a stirring chorus of ‘Perfect Day’. It may be a perfect day for Renton, but sadly, not for us.

Tag Archives: Matt Crockett

CSI: CRIME SCENE IMPROVISATION

★★★

Underbelly Boulevard

CSI: CRIME SCENE IMPROVISATION

Underbelly Boulevard

★★★

“its mix of humour, inventiveness and on-the-spot storytelling remains a highly entertaining watch”

CSI: CRIME SCENE IMPROVISATION