Stage Review - But Why Bump Off Barnaby? (Olympia Little Theatre)
Stage Review - But Why Bump Off Barnaby?
Presented By: Olympia Little Theatre - Olympia, WA
Show Run: October 24 - November 09, 2025
Date Reviewed: Friday, November 07, 2025 (Closing Weekend)
Run Time: 2 Hours, 15 Minutes (inclusive of a 15-minute intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
There’s something inherently delightful about a good British farce, especially one that doesn’t take itself too seriously. But Why Bump Off Barnaby?, which closed at Olympia Little Theatre on November 9 in a production under the direction of Amanda Nixon, takes that premise and runs with it, offering a comedic whodunit filled with eccentric characters, mistaken identities, and a healthy dose of theatrical self-awareness. The show is a satirical take on the standard whodunit featuring host Orion Leduc, who has opened his manor to a group of increasingly absurd houseguests, none of which have a motive for bumping off Barnaby, but who all have reasons why they, themselves could have been instead. It’s full of misdirection, alliteration, and one incredibly ridiculous character after another.
Set in the ancestral home of the Leduc family, the story begins innocently enough, with a typical gathering of upper-crust Brits and assorted acquaintances, until Barnaby Folcey suddenly drops dead—apparently poisoned. From there, the mystery (and the madness) begin, as family members, friends, and house staff race to determine who did it and why. The beauty of this show lies not in its plausibility, but in its gleeful abandon; the script, which plays like a mashup of Agatha Christie and Monty Python, delights in twisting the conventions of the drawing-room mystery into a series of farcical turns.
But Why Bump Off Barnaby is the kind of satirical look at the murder mystery that’s built to provide an escapist environment—one designed to generate laughs from start to finish. It builds off of characters that are exaggerated versions of the types audiences know well from Christie stories, and it does deliver a decent number of those laughs, most of them coming from Dan Overton’s Orion Leduc, the arthritic host of the evening’s festivities. His overly expressive eyebrows and knack for delivering the odd insult work especially well in this context, giving the character a comedic physicality that stands out among the ensemble.
The gathering is filled with charming ineptitude, and the cast shows glimmers of delivering on the laughs throughout. The acting is purposefully overdone, each character leaning into their particular brand of cluelessness, and the cast clearly understands that’s where the humor lies. The one element that keeps the show from fully realizing its potential, though, is pacing. A bit more quickness in the exchanges and sharper rhythm in the dialogue would allow the humor to land more consistently and give the farce its full punch.
This is a true ensemble piece that features solid performances throughout. Tim Donnell and Sam Price are an entertaining pair as butler Medkins and the reluctant maid Magnolia. They have a good rapport and Sam especially is on point with the odd insult. She’s got no filter and isn’t afraid to say what she thinks. As a result, Sam is one of the standouts of the ensemble. Other highlights include Morgan Hartline as the mostly deaf Lady Barbara Fenwick, who seems not just to miss what everyone is saying to her, she comes to her own conclusions and does eventually, as Orion likes to say, get where she needs to be, Elizabeth Rozka as beyond her prime Hollywood actress Cleo Barton, and Natalie Hodges as Dora Dunstock, who seems to take everything said to her literally, with no ability to understand nuance or sarcasm. The cast is rounded out by Rob Duran as title character Barnaby, Alyssa Lawrence as fortune-hunter Rosalind Barstow, who may or may not be after the Leduc fortune, David Flock III as Jeff Barnett, the American police reporter who is this story’s Poirot, and Janelle Lunzman as Miss Barnsdale, the old governess of half of the Leduc family who is as blind as Lady Barbara is deaf.
Visually, the production is well supported. Charles Theiner’s props and set design recreate the Leduc home, hitting all of the standard marks for this genre, complete with portraits, fireplaces, and other touches that help give the show a classic British drawing-room feel, including a well-done spinning bookcase. Eric John Werner’s lighting and sound design enhance key moments—though I found the requisite gunshot to be a little soft in volume given the impact it has in the story. Barb Matthews’ costumes provide just the right visual cues for each character, helping the audience quickly identify who’s who in this web of eccentricity.
Olympia Little Theatre’s But Why Bump Off Barnaby succeeds most when it embraces its absurdity. It’s a show that understands its own silliness, and when the timing clicks, it hits that sweet spot of old-fashioned farce. A little more pace in delivery would make the laughs more consistent, but as it stands, it’s a pleasant, escapist evening of theater—a lighthearted parody that gives its audience permission to just sit back and enjoy the ridiculousness of it all.
But Why Bump Off Barnaby? has closed at Olympia Little Theatre, but for more information on the theatre or upcoming shows, visit https://olympialittletheater.org/.
Photo credit: Scott Ellgen
