The Other Side of Murder
There are nights in the theatre when you can feel the room lean in — not politely, but hungrily — and The Other Side of Murder delivered exactly that kind of charge at the New Theatre tonight. Torben Betts’ new darkly comic thriller arrives with the swagger of a show that knows precisely what it’s doing: entertaining you, unsettling you, and then blindsiding you with a twist that sends a delighted ripple through the stalls.
At the centre of it all is Rufus Hound, giving one of his most assured stage performances to date. As TV medium Darius Divine, he balances showman bravado with a brittle, almost frantic vulnerability. His comic timing is razor‑sharp — at one point, after yet another unexpected “visitor” interrupts the evening, he mutters, “I swear the dead have better social skills than the living” — a line that brought the house down. But it’s the quieter moments, when the façade slips and the desperation beneath flickers through, that make his performance genuinely gripping.
“Funny, shocking and deliciously unsettling”
Susie Blake is a joy as Miriam, the Gilbert‑and‑Sullivan‑obsessed mother‑in‑law whose clipped delivery and immaculate timing turn every entrance into a small comic event. Carla Mendonça brings a wonderfully brittle energy as Susannah, while Aisha Jawando and Beth Lilly round out the ensemble with performances that feel lived‑in rather than sketched. The cast work as a true company — each character adding pressure to the room until the whole thing threatens to combust.
Betts’ writing is at its best when the humour and tension collide. The dinner‑table chaos is choreographed with almost musical precision, and director Philip Franks leans into the absurdity without ever losing the emotional thread. The supernatural elements are handled with a light touch — enough to jolt, never enough to tip into parody — and the final reveal is executed with such confidence that the audience audibly gasped before bursting into applause.
Visually, the production is slick without being showy. Colin Falconer’s design gives us a home that feels both familiar and faintly uncanny, while Jason Taylor’s lighting and Max Pappenheim’s sound design work in tandem to keep the atmosphere simmering. There’s a moment — you’ll know it when you see it — where a single shift in lighting turns a domestic scene into something chilling. It’s beautifully done.
What makes The Other Side of Murder such a satisfying night out is its refusal to sit neatly in one box. It’s funny, but not frivolous. It’s tense, but not bleak. It’s theatrical in the best sense: a story that plays with performance, illusion, and truth, all while giving its cast room to shine.
If tonight’s performance is anything to go by, this tour is going to be a hit. Cardiff audiences responded with real warmth — laughter, gasps, and that lovely post‑show buzz that follows you out onto Park Place. I’d recommend catching it while it’s here; it’s a cracking night at the theatre, and Rufus Hound’s performance alone is worth the ticket.
