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A Murder Is Announced

Author: Stuart Ardern

Information

Date
3rd November 2012
Society
Lyndhurst Drama & Musical Society
Venue
Vernon Theatre
Type of Production
Play
Director
Bernard Hay-Cooper

This had the makings of an ordinary Agatha Christie murder mystery right up to the point where Joan Hickson entered as Miss Marple.  It took several minutes before I was convinced that the role was actually being played by the excellent Hilary Causey.

A lot of thought had gone into the creation of the set.  The plot hinges on a room with two doors, both opening into a hall.  This arrangement, we learned, was the result of alterations which had knocked two rooms into one, and this was reflected in the set with a retaining pillar (the residue of the original wall) between the two doors.   Lots of good detail in the decor too, reflecting a long history of the householder Letitia Blacklock and her aging, dotty companion Dora Bunner (Ingrid Bond).

The script is a stage adaptation (by Leslie Darbon) from a Christie novel.  This packs in a fairly complex plot into a relatively small space.  There is a lot of information to get over to the audience, so little time for character development (with the greatest range being taken ably by Jenny Green as Letitia).  There is a lot of misdirection, with the audience periodically given hints that many of the characters are not who they seem to be, and, after the plot establishes that she is scatty and forgetful, Dora Bunner turns out to be the most reliable witness.

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