Something’s Afoot, written by James McDonald, David Vos and Robert Gerlach, is a silly musical whodunit that lightheartedly pokes fun at, of all things, murder. Specifically, it makes light of the kind of murder mystery conceived in the mind of popular writer Agatha Christie. The show, with a direct nod to Christie’s novel And Then There Were None, features a slew of British stereotypes getting knocked off, one by one, and a Miss Marple-ish busybody trying to find the killer before it’s too late. Christie’s works have been adapted many, many times into movies and plays and with Something’s Afoot, “campy musical” was added to the list.
The show was first produced in 1972 and experienced a brief run on Broadway in 1979, after which it found its home primarily in community theater. Springfield Theatre Centre brings us this production. While the material isn’t exactly groundbreaking and the songs are fairly simplistic, there’s enough here to get an audience chuckling at the absurdity of it all. And who doesn’t need a good chuckle these days?
With a nod to the English music hall style of the 1930s, the story unfolds in 1935 England by introducing 10 strangers, each with a secret. The only thing that they all have in common is Lord Dudley Rancour. Some of them work for him and others were invited to his remote lake estate under mysterious circumstances. The cast of characters include: Lettie, the tap-dancing maid (Rachel Bridges); Flint, the “gripper” caretaker (Matthew Ratz); Clive, the dutiful butler (Rick Cina); Hope Langdon, the peroxide-haired ingenue (Jacqueline Keysear); Dr. Grayburn, the friendly family doctor (Roger Finnell); Nigel Rancour, the pompous nephew (Roy Pyers); Lady Grace Manley-Prowe, the stuffy Grande-dame (Catherine Doyle); Col. Gillweather, a retired military man (Flynn Hanners); Miss Tweed, the elderly amateur detective (Dorothy Hutchinson-Gross); and lastly, Geoffrey, (Evan Noyes), a college student who suddenly appears on the scene but is totally innocent. Or is he? Worth stressing, as it is noted in the program, “All the characters are British.”
The evening takes a dark turn when the host is found dead from a gunshot wound and the bridge to the mainland has washed away, leaving the guests stranded. Adding to the tension, a major thunderstorm is brewing. The action kicks off right away with the sudden death of one of the 10 characters, which dispels any preconceived notions that the butler did it.
The cast appeared to genuinely have fun with the piece and their characters, though I think the zaniness could have been punched up a bit more overall. Honestly, I don’t think this piece can be taken too far over the top. The pacing was good and the songs had some capable voices singing them.
The show is accompanied by the one musician onstage, Mary Myers, who was inconspicuously tucked away under the staircase with her keyboard. I enjoyed the special-effect booby traps employed to dispatch the victims, but I did wonder about sight lines. Depending on where a person is seated, some of these effects might be a little hard to see.
It’s worth a special nod to the Britishisms explained in the program that were spoken throughout the play. Wouldn’t it be great if we incorporated these into our everyday lexicon? Imagine a world where we ate “bubble and squeak,” sat less on our “derrières” and participated in more “wild tattoos.”
Director Laurie McCoy said the show had been on her bucket list for years. The first local production (also at Springfield Theatre Centre) was in 2001 and was directed by her husband, Rich McCoy. I remember enjoying that production all those years ago, and it was fun to reminisce about it. I hope this latest iteration puts smiles on some new faces who will also think back on it fondly.
Note: The show contains strobe lights and some loud sound effects, including gunshots. Also, a reminder about the parking changes to the adjacent ramp, which now requires user to scan a QR code or the use of an app with online payment.
The production continues Jan. 23–25 at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. Curtain is at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday with a Sunday matinee at 3 p.m. in the Peggy Ryder Theatre. Tickets can be purchased at hcfta.org or by calling 217-523-2787.
This article appears in January 22 – 26, 2026.
