Curtains

Continuing Runway’s decision to concentrate on presenting new or rarely performed shows, this Kander and Ebb ‘musical whodunit’ was most interesting. Another ‘show within a show’ scenario, being about the show “Robbin’ Hood of the Old West” (RH) and its cast and production team, it had lots of comedy in every scene. At RH’s final curtain, the untalented leading lady is murdered, and the police are called. Enter Brendan Lynch (Lt. Frank Cioffi of Boston Police) who is a theatre lover and an amateur actor. The cast and crew are all suspects — Aileen Johnston (RH Producer Carmen Bernstein), Will Pollock (RH Director), Craig Carter and Laura Wallace (divorced songwriters Fox and Hendricks), Antony Carter (RH Leading man), Holly Steel (chorine Bambi Bernet), Neal MacCowan (RH Stage Manager), and Eleanor Gudgin (ingènue Niki).   J.Campbell Kerr (Sydney Bernstein) was apparently out of town, Raymond G Morrison (Shapiro, financier of RH) and Iain Condie (Daryl Grady, Theatre critic) also feature along with an ensemble and dance troupe of 30. There are more murders, Cioffi falls head over heels for Niki, the show (RH) Is rewritten, people fall in and out of love, the murders are eventually solved — but I can’t tell you who did it, you’ll have to find out for yourself!

A good fun show, with plenty of Kander and Ebb songs, lots of scope for characterisation, and the potential to play OTT, I’m sure that this show will feature more in the future for NODA Clubs.

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