A Tomb with a View

How good to see you all back on stage, a good support audience, all enjoying the fun of this Norman Robbins comedy thriller which beats ‘Midsummer Murders’ with the body count.

Such an excellent set from Nigel and Brenda Holmes, that portrait of Septimus Tomb quite dominating the wall in a hypnotic fashion, eyes just drawn to it constantly.

Jean Clark attracted the strong cast back on to the stage after the Covid break into a good team to bring out the laughs in this impossible scenario. A very solid and strong performance from John King as the family solicitor Penworthy, he would not be swayed by persuasion to reveal early who had inherited the money but held his ground.

Paul Reynolds as Lucien, the oldest brother tried in vain to dominate but just fell short with his siblings as he blustered. The fluttering nerves of Gillian Davison as Dora ‘the gardener and maker of homemade wines’ especially at the thought of a visiting policeman. What had she done under those rose beds with those who had not returned home?  And Cheryl Collings as Emily will not want to eat any apples for the rest of the year after her diet on stage, a particularly strong character study. Complete with toga and the Julius Caesar lines some fine acting moments from Neil Ellson. And later in the action the vamp and sex mad Monica upped the comedy, Kelly Brown really enjoying her role. The interaction of all the Tomb family members very good as they fought to keep father’s millions, and gave us a laugh.

The non-family cast members on this foggy night were important in this story rife with murders: the appearance of Freda Mountjoy (Christine Castle) as authoress of romantic novels was a surprise for the family but it seemed that she had not written the books. Her secretary Peregine Potter (Jason O’Toole) was the culprit and seemed a very minor character until he blossomed and became a strong influence for all, and survived. Di Reeve a very bossy and organised housekeeper Agatha who really thought that it was Septimus all the time, but was it? And quietly appearing and saying she saved lives rather than destroying them, the nurse Anne Franklin (Lyndsey King) was in all scenes to match up with the family and keep them guessing, a big role and the suspense maintained throughout.

This was an evening giving a number of laughs and yet keeping the fun of the multi-murders with suspense, a great entertainment for an excellent house on a hot night.

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