Review: First Degree’s Murder

First Degree’s Murder is a play written and directed by Holly Sahota about four girls at Newnham College who get tangled up in manslaughter days before Cambridge University vote on whether women can receive degrees. This play is full of laughter, droll humour and senseless comedy yet still displays the important issue of women’s rights.

Image credits: Natalie Sen-Yen Ng

I had been excited to see this play since its title intrigued me (well done Holly) and I had high expectations for the performance—I was not disappointed. It contains many Cambridge niches and references which are extremely relatable to the Cambridge student, making it more entertaining to watch. The storyline was also light-hearted and comical, perfect to watch after an intense day studying.

The cast are, of course, very talented and maintained character throughout despite some prop issues and a few of the cast forgetting their lines in places. Their performance was well-received by the audience with laughter throughout and almost no empty seats—clearly this play was highly anticipated. Special mentions go to Irisa Kwok who plays Florence for her remarkable calmness to committing a murder, and to Alex Thompson, playing sexist old man Professor Holinshead who was, whilst perhaps stereotypical, undoubtably the best man to portray such a character.

Image credits: Natalie Sen-Yen Ng

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The wider context of the university vote in 1947 was well-weaved throughout the play, with the characters highlighting the importance of allowing women to receive degrees and rightly criticising Cambridge for not yet allowing this (or perhaps more importantly for allowing Oxford to do this first in 1920). At the end of the play, Holly Sahota also highlights how this issue is still prevalent today, and promotes “Plan International”, a charity who you can donate to here to help tackle this injustice.

The sound effects are clear, effective and adds to the comedy of the piece. To add to the mood the lighting changes accordingly, and the set contains many props (including a wheelbarrow) which are on theme with student life, making the piece more realistic. Finally, the costumes are in accordance with the time period and university attire, further reinforcing Cambridge life in the 1940s. With the exception of Jemima the sheep, the murder and the multiple other minor crimes caused by this group of students, clearly student life has not changed that much.

Image credits: Natalie Sen-Yen Ng

By mixing comedy with awareness of a momentous issue that is still common today, First Degree’s Murder is the perfect way to relax after multiple supervisions. Whilst arguably a bit dramatic and overkill in places, overall, this light-hearted and eccentric play is worth the watch—a clear distinction worthy performance.

4/5

First Degree’s Murder is showing at the Corpus Playroom from Tuesday 4th – Saturday 8th March.

Featured image credits: Natalie Sen-Yen Ng