‘Love in the First Degree’: A Killer Improvized Courtroom
A beautiful wedding has been ruined by the murder of the groom. The crime has eight suspects, and rather than bother a judge with the issue, Vic Vanderspank (Shanique Peart), the evening’s host, has assembled a collection of jurors (the audience) to decide by vote. The jury is not voting on who is guilty though: the trial is broken up into rounds with someone being voted off as innocent each time, slowly narrowing down the list of suspects until the criminal is (hopefully) found.
6 AM Productions presents Love in the First Degree at the Tett Centre as a part of The Kick & Push Festival. I was fortunate enough to get a glimpse into the rehearsal process and write up a special behind-the-scenes article, so this review has a different feel than any I have written thus far. My usual process involves approaching a production without prior knowledge and trying to interpret the decisions in real time as the show goes on. Here, I am able to enter knowing what decisions were made and can focus more directly on whether or not the execution works. Plus, I can look at the improvement of the cast and production team since I last visited.
Far before arriving at the venue, the show begins early with an email preparing audiences for the wild ride they’re in for. The email contains information on phone use during the show, directions to the venue, a reminder of the show’s time, and encouragement to “come in your best 80s attire, think bold colours, shoulder pads, leg warmers, leather jackets, or Miami Vice vibes.” This prompt garnered a lot of excitement from audiences the night I attended, and the explosion of neon and shoulder pads even entering the hallway leading up to the space is fantastic early immersion for the show about to start.
The rehearsal I had attended took place just over one week before my viewing of the play, and I was shocked to see how much had changed. The set now had two large functioning projectors which would display the voting results (as well as the QR code needed to vote) which really helped to make the room feel less barren. A majority of the costumes I had seen at the fittings had since changed, with only Felicia Holmes’ and Trevor Procyk’s costumes appearing to be the same. All of the dresswear that had changed was certainly for the better though; Eirik Ruthorford’s burgundy dinner suit looks comfortable, stylish, and just bold enough to fit in with the rest of the zany 80s outfits.
In terms of performances the entire cast has come a long way with their improv. One cast member who has most improved is Peart. She had been added to the cast late and so was catching up just a short time ago, but now controls the room completely, drawing all eyes in with her confident strut as the show begins. The production also features performers absent from the rehearsal I observed who bring so much additional energy to the stage. Ty Anderson as best man Tommy Reid is hysteric, constantly heightening each moment with a burst of over-exaggerated emotion. Nick Neokleous’s performance as wedding singer Ricky Morris charmed the audience immediately; he also entered the rows of attendees to interact on a few occasions, one time chatting to me for a while until Peart swooped in and escorted him back to the stage with a disapproving look. Each actor seems to fully understand their character, and shows this through confidence when creating their relationships with one another on stage.
I cannot go without mentioning the absolute highlight of the evening: Meadow Dg as the wedding crasher, Patty. She remains understated, seldomly speaking but whenever she does decide to contribute, her line is solid gold. For example, in an argument with another character she insulted them by saying, “How was I supposed to know you had a plan? You chewed all your Barbies when you were a kid.” Her lines are so unique yet so hilarious that they, without fail, evoke a roar of laughter.
Love in the First Degree has the unique structure of a clear beginning and end predetermined each night, but everything in the middle is completely improvised. It proposes a difficult scenario where the performers are chiefed with dragging out the clues for the show’s run while also communicating enough that the audience might be able to figure out who committed the crime. The structure is not perfect and the cast occasionally loses track, but the show is an absolute romp from beginning to end. The plot ends up not being the focus, but the laughs never stop and the mystery adds an additional dimension of intrigue and investment in the story. Love in the First Degree features a charming ensemble, an exciting premise, and a different killer every night so the mystery won’t get stale no matter how many times it runs.
‘Love in the First Degree’ presented by 6 AM Productions played as a part of The Kick & Push Festival until August 17, 2025. More information about the show can be found here.
