“The Game’s Afoot!” shouts a police detective, in Sherlock Holmes-esque fashion. Armed with a pen, a map and an initial clue, we separate ourselves from the other 40-odd audience members in the race to solve a triple murder through interviewing five suspects. The Game’s Afoot is Les Enfants Terribles’ latest show which, much like their Alice’s Adventures Underground, is a site-specific, promenade production – this time taking place in Madame Tussauds. With just an hour to solve the case before Big Ben strikes, this feels as much like an immersive board game as a piece of theatre; one whereby the more involved you choose to get, the more you’ll glean from the suspects.

There’s no set script here. Each suspect occupies a different room and, depending on when you meet them or what you ask, you’ll pick up different clues. If you’re lucky, another audience member-cum-detective will interrupt to ask something you didn’t think of, or another character will rush into the room and you’ll witness a crucial transaction play out. All five suspects in tonight’s performance were strong improvisers, each well-versed on a backstory of infinite possibilities, and equipped with an array of sharp responses to our questions.

The dungeon portion of Madame Tussauds lends itself well to Sherlock Holmes’s London. A cobbled Baker Street twists into a secret passage plastered with Victorian-style wanted posters, which in turn gives way to a dank and misty moor. Whilst the set of The Game’s Afoot lacks the intimacy and subtle mystery of certain immersive sets, such as Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More, the naturalistic study with its scattering of papers and well stacked book shelves, and the mortuary with its intricate array of glass implements, speaks for the detail poured into every room of Samuel Wyer’s design. The train carriage is particularly impressive; once we step on board it rocks us gently whilst Duncan McLean’s pastoral video sequence is projected on the carriage windows, creating the illusion of a moving train. On the other hand, the bodies of the three victims are less remarkable and disappointingly prosthetic in appearance.

Writer-director Oliver Lansley, together with Anthony Spargo and James Seager, has created two plots for The Game’s Afoot: tonight we saw – or played – The Case of the Poisonous Poet, but true fans who are happy to splash out another fifty-odd pounds can return to try their luck at The Case of the Bloodthirsty Beast. With over 100 clues, the plot is challenging enough to keep a keen sofa detective guessing (frustratingly, we didn’t solve it), and engaging enough to entertain the more scatty players. Given it’s early in the run of this roaming production, it’s excusable that there are still some health and safety issues to be ironed out; twice we witness doors flying open, bumping into audience detectives on the other side. The Game’s Afoot lies somewhere between an Escape Room challenge and a Punchdrunk show; it’s a lively, fun experience for those who like to solve a mystery.

The Game’s Afoot is playing Madame Tussauds until 30 September 2016. For more information and tickets, see Les Enfants Terribles website.

Photo: Rah Petherbridge Photography