What is cozier than a little murder during the holiday season? If you are one of the countless devotees of cozy murder mysteries, a genre that stretches from Agatha Christie classics to contemporary crowd-pleasers like the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, then murder is the perfect entertainment for these long winter nights.
Washington Stage Guild, DC’s resident purveyor of literary works often set in bygone eras, is all in on murder mania with its production of Accused!, the third and final installment of Playwright Patricia Milton’s Victorian Ladies Detective Collective plays. WSG produced parts one and two of the series in previous seasons, and now they are back, with much of the same cast, to conclude this delightful trilogy.
Accused! once again features a trio of intrepid lady detectives who solve mysteries from the comfort of their cozy London boarding house in the late 1800s. And who can blame them? When bodies keep showing up, what’s a gentlewoman to do but sharpen her wits and start sleuthing? In Accused!, the mystery du jour centers around a band of London anarchists who detonate bombs around town to call for social change. (If this reminds you of Netflix’s hugely popular Enola Holmes franchise, you are not alone. Victorian London was apparently riddled with anarchists and their bombs.)
Milton’s script features all of the hallmarks of the cozy mystery genre: bodies in closets, cryptic clues, poisons of mysterious origins. It is also full of quick-witted dialogue that nimbly updates Victorian tropes that no longer resonate with modern audiences. And Milton does this so subtly and skillfully that she avoids the heavy-handed feel of modernization that many playwrights fall victim to when updating dated material. Instead of hitting us over the head with the need to modernize the storyline, Milton slips into the story elements that Victorian writers would have ignored or considered improper: A policewoman of color (Ta’Neesha Murphy), a “lavender marriage” subplot, and frank references to sex that would make any proper Victorian-era lady faint. “I decline to spread my legs for a man who won’t let me spread my wings,” Valeria Hunter tells us at one point in her pristine British accent. You go, girl!
Milton’s smart writing, combined with Morgan Duncan’s attentive direction, lets these ladies discuss topics that would have been considered taboo in their day, spotlighting social constraints and inequalities that literary heroines must sidestep through the unconventional means of solving murders.
Laura Giannarelli and Jen Furlong return to the roles of sisters Valeria Hunter and Loveday Fortescue, characters who fit them like dainty silk gloves in this, their third go-around. Furlong, in particular, shines in scenes where she “translates” French simply by speaking English with a French accent, a comedic bit that she executes with a sublime deadpan. Also returning from the second installment in the series is Maddie Baylor as Katie Smalls, a boarder-turned-detective who joins the sisters in crimefighting, wielding a lace fan as lethal as any sword. Although Baylor’s Southern accent is a bit thick and hard to understand at first, her portrayal of a sassy, sarcastic, and sex-starved Southern transplant soon becomes irresistible. Brought to delicious life by Giannarelli, Furlong, and Baylor, this crimefighting trio is a welcome addition to the legions of quirky, beloved female sleuths.
Steven Carpenter is credited in the program only as playing “The Men,” which feels perfectly apt for a play that gleefully subverts gendered power tropes. But Carpenter’s turn as three men who embody bombastic misogyny in such delightfully distinct ways is pure delight. Without a program to consult, I would have never guessed that one actor so skillfully morphed from French raconteur to stuffy British Parliamentarian to slippery priest. Carpenter is truly a chameleon.
The show does lag a bit at the top of Act Two, and the unveiling of the mystery felt overcomplicated, but that is a pitfall that bedevils many a mystery writer, literary or theatrical.
Accused! plays in the theater inside Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, a spacious venue used by several local arts groups. While the venue is lovely in most respects, including its convenient Northwest DC location, its acoustics can be a challenge. Sound designer Thom J. Woodward fights valiantly against the venue’s limited sound system while layering neat touches into the production like a magical whoosh when the ladies open a box of clues and the offstage boom of the anarchist’s bombs exploding offstage. For a theater on a small budget, WSG creates impressively lush visuals. Scenic designer Megan Holden places us in a delightful Victorian parlor replete with patterned wallpaper, ornate picture frames, and needlepoint chair coverings. (If you are sharp, you may just spot a murder weapon or two.) Costume Designer Cody Von Ruden draws on Holden’s color palette to design an array of dresses for our Victorian ladies, featuring rich fabrics in shades of purple and blue. Marianne Meadows’ lighting design ties it all together.
All in all, Accused! is a must-see for fans of historical mysteries, sharp comedies, and women who solve crimes in excellent dresses — corsets optional.
Running Time: Two hours, including one 15-minute intermission.
Accused! plays through December 14, 2025, presented by Washington Stage Guild, performing at The Undercroft Theatre at Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC. Purchase tickets ($30–$60) online.
