Thank you to Christian Dart for providing a digital copy of GUMSHOE! for review, based on the performance at Wimbledon Theatre in July 2025. *Please note this is a recorded version and may differ from the live performance experience.
GUMSHOE! begins like any good noir mystery… with a murder. Set in 1940s New York, a critically acclaimed detective is found dead in his office – no suspects. Enter Christian Dart as Detective Gummo Custer, aka Detective Gumbo, who immediately tells us this case was his undoing. To solve it, we must return to the beginning, then the middle, and finally the end – which, actually, is also the beginning. In order to solve this case, Gumbo needs help from the audience. They step in to relay an additional case, with suspects that guide the detective’s next move. Conceptually, there are two cases happening simultaneously: the one the audience brings and the mystery of Gumbo’s own murder. The audience is told the outcome at the very start – that Gumbo will meet his demise. While this removes some of the shock, it cleverly draws the audience in, encouraging them to piece together events alongside him.
From the outset, the show leans into this genre-bending chaos, parodying popular detective films. It’s fast, self-aware, and packed with knowingly terrible puns. Dart commands the stage with ease, fully committing to Gumbo’s exaggerated persona – complete with a wildly phoney American accent that flips between deadpan seriousness and full camp. Despite being a one-man show, GUMSHOE! never feels static. Flashbacks break up any potentially formulaic narrative structure while pushing the story forward. Audience interaction is woven in seamlessly, with playful nudges that make participation feel effortless rather than forced. Moments like “it would be a shame if this jewel went missing” – hint hint, nudge nudge – are comedic but relaxed enough that audience members don’t feel the stage is off-limits.
The show moves effortlessly between script and improv, taking the audience on a collective journey from Gumbo’s office to bars and into high-speed car chases without pause. Even the use of sound effects emphasises this trigger-happy detective, playing into the parody of detective stereotypes. The constant first-person narration, combined with acted-out scenes, solidifies this delightfully playful, sketch-like style. Following this high-energy sequence is a car chase that uses lighting and sound to build tension, before subverting it entirely with a surprising Mario Kart-inspired twist. Plush toys and banana peels recreate iconic moments in a sequence that is both inventive and absurd.
What stands out most is how Dart breaks the fourth wall with cultural references. Occasionally, these need explaining for audience members, which might normally undermine a joke – but here, the explanation often becomes funnier than the original reference. These moments are threaded throughout, drawing the audience in and pushing them back out again that balances narrative with audience engagement. Dart manages the unpredictability of interaction well, while maintaining enough structure to ensure the show lands exactly where it should. And the crowning moment is the ending where everything clicks into place in a sharp, satisfying, and deceptively clever finale. It really makes the audience appreciate how tightly constructed the show really is. I’m intrigued to see how the story unfolds with different audience suggestions, and whether the ending lands the same punch – or changes completely.
Christian Dart is taking GUMSHOE! to the Edinburgh Fringe this August, and it’s sure to blow your socks off with this trigger-happy detective.
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Amy is a writer and reviewer and her action-packed debut novel, CORNELIA FAIRFIELD AND THE DARKENED HEART is available in paperback from WATERSTONES and independent bookshops, and ebook (with an exclusive bonus chapter only on Kindle / Kindle Unlimited AMAZON).
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