New Immersive Cabaret 'A Detective Mystery: Women Who Kill'

By Ned Kelly, January 15, 2024

The Pearl is excited to announce the world premiere of a new immersive cabaret, A Detective Mystery: Women Who Kill, inspired by the hit TV series Why Women Kill.

Expect a night of mystery and memories, where fact blends with fiction, and where you’ll get the chance to put on your detective hat to find out exactly why these women kill.

We caught up with creators of the show, artistic duo Ksenia Geddes and Trenton Schneiders, to find out more...

Congratulations on the new show. What is your background?
We are from different parts of the globe, Alaska and Belarus. Somehow we found ourselves somewhere in the middle in China.

Luckily The Pearl is an amazing space to work in and has been really supportive of creating new work.

What is the premise of the show?
The show loosely draws from the hit television series Why Women Kill. It was captivating – understanding three totally unique stories that are all somehow connected – and the unfolding clues that lead to a murderous climax.

We wanted to recreate this feeling for the stage, but of course we couldn’t make a 10 hour show. So instead of a common setting (as in the TV show) we created a common character.

Detective Lionel Howard made a name for himself investigating and solving three murders, those of...

... Lucy Anderson, the housewife from hell...

... Nina Morgan, troubled teenager...

... and Serena Blair, social media star.

However, when Nancy – a new intern working for the detective – asks him to take a second look at these cases, the facts begin to unravel.

What can people expect?
It’s a three act bilingual musical – full of exciting songs, dances, and humor. There are clues all throughout the show and the space, so people should expect to keep their eyes and ears open to catch them all.

And, of course, like all shows at the Pearl, expect to drink and have a good time!

It is an immersive performance – how does that work?
The show is part cabaret, part escape room.

Most of the action takes place on the stage, but as the audience dives deeper into our world they’ll likely notice that the detective’s details don’t add up the way he says.

To remedy this, there are 10 clues hidden around the space to fill in the blanks and expose the truth behind the three murders.

At the climax of the show, the audience will get the chance to vote for which women they think are guilty and which women they think are innocent – so the ending of our show changes each time!

And you are encouraging people to dress up?
The only thing people need to wear is their detective hat! Whatever will give them the motivation to get up and immerse themselves in our show’s mysteries.

Who is your favorite character and why?
Over the process, each character is so special and important to the plot, but our show would be nothing without Nancy.

Her character is the glue between stage and audience, and she facilitates the immersive aspects of the show.

She also speaks in Chinese to help make the show more accessible to the local audience and hopefully make people feel more comfortable seeing the show, no matter what their English level is.

What can people expect in terms of music?
The music in our show doesn’t stick to just one style – we have top 40 hits mixed in with Broadway standards, as well as some original mash-ups written specifically for our show.

Finally, our show is a little more traditional theater than other Pearl performances, so we start exactly at 7pm.

Please arrive early – and why not try some of the delicious seasonal items on The Pearls kitchen menu while you’re at it!