A Count for Murder

H`All Things Drama Youth Section really decided to go big with their very first production. With a cast of just seven they took on the monumental task of staging a murder mystery dinner complete with drama, nibbles, a three course hot dinner and an extensive mocktail menu!

The drama was titled “ A Count for Murder” and it was penned by an adult member of the society. Only three members of the cast had ever been on stage before, so in my humble opinion it was a brave move by Director Virginia Williamson. The set consisted of a standing banner type backdrop decorated with clocks and cogs giving a very steampunk vibe, a portrait of a lady was hung in the centre of the banner. The audience were at  tables of 4 , 6 or 8  dotted in a semi circle  facing the banner and a space in front of the banner for the cast to use as a main performance space. Unfortunately some members of the public couldn`t see what the actors were doing because the sightlines were blocked - this is a common difficulty when doing performance in the round . The sound and lighting was controlled in house by members of the society, all sound effects dropped in on time and could be heard .  The costumes all looked very fitting to the characters and the era we were supposed to be in.

The youngest cast member Amber Hardman-D`eathe (9) played the part of a maid - she had some good interaction with the audience and had a very cute giggle. I will admit to being a little confused after the maid had been murdered Amber did appear back on stage again - still as the maid …..perhaps there were two maids, but we only saw one? Evie-Rose Turner (14) played the part of Ang McDougal until she too was murdered. She had some good interaction with the audience in the questions part, she stayed in character and had some pace. Madeline McGuirk (13) as James Schaft the detective with the ever changing moustache had some good interaction with the audience however much more projection was needed when on stage to get the dialogue through said moustache, we could hear very little. Esmee Quinn (13) as the beautiful Catarina Von Blutwurst wife of the Count looked very elegant as she drifted about the stage. She had some good interactions with the audience and used her stage space well. Her nemesis Ruby  “Red” Herring (Marina Mercer, 13) was very confident. She stuck to her characterisation with ease and panache, she kept up her accent and stayed well in character even when she was only in a scene without any dialogue. Kyle Briggs-Williams (16) played two very different parts in this production. First he was Dietrich Von Blutwurst and then he appeared as the zany, highly excitable Scottish, Jim Job. He was very versatile in his characterisations and it was good to hear him using different accents. His pace for me was too fast in both characterisations – you need to give the audience time to catch up. He covered a lot of stage space and certainly had  members of the audience laughing. Marie Williamson (14) played Dr Sera Watson and certainly kept us guessing. Her characterisation was solid, she was calculating and cold with very exacting gestures, her diction was good but a bit  more projection was needed - audience members were moving chairs, etc, at times.

As I said at the beginning this was a brave move putting on something as extensive as this but I am now also saying that H`All Things Drama Youth and Director Virginia should be patting themselves on the back for a job very well done. This was a very inexperienced cast, but they pulled together and produced a very enjoyable show for us to watch. Thank you for inviting me, both myself and my guest enjoyed it and I will see you all again soon.

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