Philly Fringe 2025: Without a Cue Productions present And Then They Were Dead

Talented but left anonymous

I need to pause my review for a moment here to implore the producers of Philadelphia to please, please, please for the love of god have programs available—especially during Fringe. If not printed (because printed programs are both costly and wasteful), then digital and easy to find. And then those programs need to have a complete list of your performers—ideally with headshots.

I’m not just asking this as a critic; I’m asking this as a fan of the arts who wants to know who that particularly outstanding performer was, so I can be sure to catch the next production they’re in. (But also, I’m asking this as a critic who has been hamstrung by a lack of information while writing this review.)

I did receive a program for And Then They Were Dead. It contained helpful information on how to vote in the audience participation sections of the performance. It did not include the names of the five actors in the show’s cast. (The entire company of Without a Cue is listed on the back of the program, but it’s literally impossible to determine who amongst those 57 performers appeared on stage in this production.) So, for the sake of being able to write a review at all, I will refer to the actors by their character names, which are listed in the program: Arthur Gobbler, Agatha Aurum, Conan, Christie, and Doyle. And I will say that all were talented improvisers, able to switch handily between these characters and other (unlisted) ones. Each got some big laughs. Several did accent work, some with more success than others. And the actor playing Doyle was the show’s absolute standout.

Solid parody; challenging sight lines

This is not a show to go to if you’re unfamiliar with murder mystery tropes, and it’s definitely not a show to go to if you’re uncomfortable with audience participation. However, if those attributes are up your alley, you will find a lot to love, and more to laugh at, in And Then They Were Dead. The ending of our production did seem to fall apart, with a perpetrator more announced than arrived at, but that may have been more because of the audience’s choices throughout the night than the fault of the creators or cast.

Those audience votes, by the way, are displayed on one of two TVs placed in the performance space. Seated where I was, I could see neither screen, thanks in large part to the three massive columns in the center of Red Rum Theater. The columns are not the fault of the production, but it didn’t feel like they were a consideration, either. Be warned that most any seat in the house comes with a restricted view.