A Tomb with a View

A Tomb With A View is a comedy thriller written by Norman Robbins. A carefully designed set took us to the library of Monument house, home of the Tomb family. Above the mantel is the terrifying portrait of the late Septimus Tomb. This is where family lawyer Hamilton Penworthy played by Peter Farrell reads a will involving millions to an equally sinister family. The Tomb family meet to hear the will of their late father when complications arise. Once an outsider is left a sizeable legacy family members are killed off one by one and thus we end up with eight bodies strewn across the stage at various moments in the play. In the library of Monument House we meet toga-clad Marcus played by David Acton, eloquently declaiming Shakespeare's Caesar, irascible Lucien played by Peter Holt, butch Emily played by Mary Goodfellow, twittery Dora played by Jane Southery and sex-mad Monica played by Elaine Savage all tinged with murderous madness. Into this astutely cast assortment come Peregrine Potter played by Kevin Rayment and Freda Mountjoy played by Amy Reynolds. Sandra Mantella as Housekeeper Agatha helped with the twists in the plot which confused even the cast at times - shooting, poisoning, stabbing and strangling dispatching most of them. ?A long denouement speech by stolid Nurse Ann Franklin played by Diana Holt explained the complicated plot. There were many moments to savor in this who-dun-nit mystery, which. for me, was a touch too long to keep everyone on the edge of their seats. In a production of this kind pace is essential to keep the audiences attention and at times cues were not always picked up on quickly enough and dialogue was not always secure. However, characterization was good and makeup not too heavy for a small venue like Digswell Hall. Costumes were well chosen but I felt that Lucien and Monica’s wigs had seen better days and became somewhat of a distraction for some members of the audience. The set was well constructed and sound effects appropriate and on cue. A mixture of comedy and mystery, this play kept you guessing through all the twists and turns and I congratulate Chris White for his first venture into directing a play. Thank you again for your hospitality.

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