Last night saw Trinity Arts Festival (TAF) finally have an opportunity to get their black tie attire out as they threw their black tie murder mystery party. The event followed a string of highly successful events that have been running as part of the TAF programme this week. Last night was arguably one of their most-anticipated nights, with only a small group of hardened guests tough enough to queue in the Arts Block during their lunch hour to secure tickets in attendance. The evening began with the group of eclectically dressed guests shivering underneath the Campanile before being led to the venue of the Rothschild’s party in 12 Henrietta St.
The building itself was in a state of charming disrepair, with lit fires and neon lights adorning busts in almost every room. Guests were all corralled up uneven wooden stairs punctuated by bright strobe lights to be welcomed by the evening’s host. Ms Marie Helene warmly greeted everyone to this “depraved night of degenerate indulgence” and introduced the important players of the evening, all who quickly became suspects of her impending murder. Nixon, Castro, Andy Warhol, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Princess Grace, Audrey Hepburn, Picasso, Brigitte Bardot, Poirot himself and the curator of the soiree, Dali, were those who guests were tasked to interrogate. The victim gave a toast “to surrealism, extreme politics, the occult, and above all, the Rothschilds”, before kickstarting the evening by dying. Dali asked of us “one small favour”: solve the crime.
To do this, each suspect was available for questioning. This was a great opportunity to ask deceased celebrities burning questions, like what’s David Bowie’s favourite David Bowie song? Turns out it’s “Heroes”. Bowie was as fascinating as one would hope a reimagination of him would be, sharing interesting musings like “one cannot truly know oneself, because one is oneself”. Evidently, interviewing certain guests was harder than others.
Talking to Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly revealed that they had a searing hatred of Debbie Harry and Stevie Nicks, a hatred they referred to at any given opportunity. The personas of the two iconic film stars were captured effortlessly, exuding airs of elegance and charm.
Anyone in attendance of this party would agree that Nixon and Castro created a certain theatrical atmosphere, both maintaining that a portal to hell had opened up in Cuba during the Bay of Pigs and that Brigitte Bardot was definitely possessed by a demon. Speaking to an enthusiastic and convincing Nixon clutching a can of Tesco lager was jarringly silly. The house was filled with the echoes of his booming but strained voice, a portrayal so worryingly accurate it felt like the crook himself was there. Castro was the picture of himself, carrying a frayed cigar everywhere and not answering any question straight.
Picasso and Bardot were some of the most enthralling characters, greeting everyone with a kiss on the cheek or a warm handshake. They passed scraps of rumours and shared small circle gossip, sometimes whispering in your ear that one guest in particular had a bad reputation. This earnest imitation made the night feel as though you were truly stepping into this world of high society drama. Agatha Christie’s Poirot was there, assuming the role of a beacon of guidance when trying to solve this intricate homicide.
Genuine intrigue undoubtedly built up and it was hard not to feel invested in the various storylines. Anecdotes of Nazi memorabilia being bought off Bowie and Iggy Pop, torn up receipts found after Helene’s death, rumours of Nixon stealing Grace Kelly’s diamond because he’s drowning in debt were some of the whispers you could catch if you were paying close attention. Guests build up theories, interrogating these breathing statues of history.
Having the opportunity to witness David Bowie yell obscenities at Richard Nixon or chat to Andy Warhol and Hercule Poirot about the other guests made the night instantly worth the harrowing queue for entry. However, the enigmatic intrigue and the growing anticipation and excitement at solving the crime proved that TAF knows exactly how to throw a surrealist murder mystery. In the end, it was Bowie and Iggy Pop who kill Marie Helene, with Stevie Nicks and Debbie Harry as accomplices. Her cause of death was, unfortunately, poisoned cocaine.
