It all began in a nondescript building, a “secret location” in the eastern side of Singapore. Visitors – myself included – arrived to attend an exclusive opening of visionary curator Ragavan’s new exhibition Red.
With a glass of wine (or cranberry juice) in hand, we entered the art gallery and were greeted by installations and artworks by performance artist Ashley Champion (played by Arielle Jasmine), avant-garde artist * (also known as Asterix, played by Joshua Lim), and the digital artist who supposedly holds the record for Singapore’s most expensive NFT, JoyRopes (played by Fahim Murshed).
As I roamed the gallery, each artist was on hand to share the inspiration behind their works. But what began as an evening of art, networking and drinks turned sour as tragedy struck – Ragavan had been murdered. With help from a detective, we were invited to view the crime scene and pick up clues to see if we could guess who had done the terrible deed. Hints to help solve the whodunnit included notes on a white board, suspicious emails and an unopened safe. We were also able to interrogate the three artists, questioning their whereabouts, their relationship with Ragavan and their potential motives.
No spoilers here, but solving the case turned out to be more difficult than I thought. Despite being a fan of Agatha Christie novels, I was no Hercule Poirot. There were red herrings (no doubt a deliberate tactic by writer/director Krish Natarajan) and dramatic testimonies from the artists that made me question my theories. My guess turned out to be, well, completely wrong.
Crack The Case – Red: An Artful Murder is the third edition by local theatre company Sight Lines, but the first where the immersive theatrical experience takes place in a non-theatre space. Previous editions were Crack The Case: Mind Hunter (2023) and Crack The Case: Backstage Betrayal (2024).
Anyone who has visited an art gallery will know it can be a rather snobbish, stuffy affair, but this was ultimately a fun and memorable way to spend an evening at an exhibition, albeit a fictional one. Just add murder, and I’ll be glad to visit again.
Crack The Case – Red: An Artful Murder runs till Dec 1, from Wednesday to Sunday at a secret location made known only to ticket holders. The Standard Experience at $88 comes with a complimentary glass of red wine, while the VIP experience at $128 allows guests to enjoy a glass of Moet & Chandon Champagne, meet and greet the artists, and enjoy an exclusive additional secret scene. VIPs will also be seated at a private VIP area, with special memorabilia to remember their murder mystery experience. Get tickets here.
