Review: WHO DID IT? at Capital Fringe - Theater J

“You in the black shirt – get up here and die.”

This opening direction perfectly set the stage for Who Did It?, Erik Acuña’s improvised murder mystery comedy performance that’s become an annual favorite (it won “Best of Fringe” last year). The premise is simple: the stage is set with a body and “evidence” collected from the audience; based on the evidence, the cast – comprised of a rotating collection of performers and teachers from Washington Improve Theater and Rails Comedy – investigates the murder and interviews suspects connected to each piece of evidence, before the detectives determine who is responsible and make their arrest.

While the premise itself is pretty direct, it’s a skilled cast that can perform a full story on such a bare-bones foundation. The improv performers are clearly up for the challenge though – Acuña performs at every curtain as one of two detectives and plays well off his counterpart. In the performance reviewed, his partner was Krystal Ali, who played the cool, successful detective to Acuña’s bumbling newbie; their contrast was hilarious, and Ali served as a fantastic chaos demon who effortlessly charmed at every interaction. The madcap cast of suspects – Samiyyah Ali, Neil Baron, Kendall Hollimon, Eva Lewis, Kelsey Peters, and Danielle Steger – matched the absurdity of the props provided and the leads they created, embodying ridiculous magicians, failed vineyard owners, and home lead inspectors. What really made the whole scenario work, though, was that there was an overriding sense of fun – no one seemed to take their role too seriously and instead leaned into the most absurd versions they could embody. The magicians performed laughably obvious tricks to enthusiastic applause, the vineyard owners created their own “purple drink” while waving fistfuls of cash as part of a recall settlement, and the lead inspectors reflected on their obsessive approach’s impact on their home lives while wielding large bottles of sanitizer. The pure joy and humor that radiated made the whole performance incredibly entertaining. Behind the scenes, a rotating team of tech operators (Maddie Carlson on the night of the performance reviewed) and stagehands (Chris Carusiello and Cassie Hoffman for this performance) kept the technical elements for the Black Box sharp.

The show’s local following helps as well. The energy in the theater was raucous and full of excitement even before the performance started, and the audience enthusiastically joined in, making the improvisations more interactive and giving the performers the chance to play off their responses. When the call for props came, it was clear this audience came prepared – nearly every other person held up an offering, ranging from hand mirrors to pills to plastic cockroaches (the latter was so realistic that even the hosts, Steger and Peters, visibly recoiled and briefly thought they were real). The audience’s fervor certainly lent an additional element of diversion, and their delight was reflected back from the stage.

It's clear that there’s a reason this production has returned to Capital Fringe, and has accumulated so much local love. Who Did It? is a fun, silly, and engaging experience, and its improvised nature ensures it continues to entertain, even for those who make it an annual tradition.

Who Did It? is part of the Capital Fringe Festival, which runs through July 21st.  Details on Who Did It?and other festival shows can be found on the Capital Fringe website. Performance run time is approximately 50 minutes.

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