Something's Afoot at Hereford Courtyard this week, and you'd better believe it.

This rather curious musical murder mystery comes in at a mercifully compact two hours, and once you get over the shock that it has been produced at all, you'll probably quite enjoy it.

With lyrics like: "He treats me right, he treats me left-over, but then I always was...a push-over" it's hard to keep a straight face, and that's without the ludicrous string of murders taking place at 10 minute intervals.

It's not the butler, because he's the first to go, but Miss Tweed is on the case and Lord Rancour's ragbag of weekend guests soon reveal their ever more fantastical skeletons in the cupboard.

A pastiche of Agatha Christie's writing - the penultimate song makes tribute to her - and Noel Coward/Cole Porter's splendidly light-footed musicals, Something's Afoot was written by a group of out-of-work actors in the early 70s.

It's never been a huge stage success, though it retains a certain charm - probably in its courage through adversity.

The cast in this travelling production are spot-on.

With snappy choreography and tricky scenes involving ending it all in some pretty weird and wonderful ways (technically), a lesser group would certainly flounder.

With Cluedo board characterisation, the entire show is reminiscent of Gilbert & Sullivan does Scooby Doo.

But, it's all in the best possible sense of comedy, and it will blow away those post-Christmas cobwebs. Julie Harries