Death by Design

When is a murder mystery a murder mystery but not really a murder mystery? You’d have to watch this play to find out. And you’d be hard pressed to find a more enchanting, humble and riproariously funny incarnation than this by the Haven Players. There were moments of side splitting hilarity and some of mad genius, and the way they handled things that went slightly awry is worthy of the biggest praise and admiration.  

The set was stunning. A complete drawing room in blue and cream, one door for the outside and one for the internal rooms, and lattice patio doors leading to the garden area. These were working to the point of being able to be slammed quite hard without anything wobbling – and they frequently were slammed hard. There was a beautiful light streaming through the patio doors in one part, sending light squares into the room: a super effect. The working stairs at the back of the room was the fourth exit point. The practical lamps also added ambience to the room giving it a feel of reality, and it was dressed beautifully with authentic furniture, side tables and tablecloths. All this attention to detail is a lovely sign of a company taking pride in their productions; when this much thought and attention is on show, it instantly increases confidence for both the actors and audience. The blue blackouts were a special favourite.  

The strength here was in the cast’s ability to go with the flow of anything that happened around them, such as to improvise saying “bang” when a vital gunshot noise was needed but a sound malfunction happened – which added to the fun of the whole play. The way they included everything and didn’t apologise or look scared or embarrassed when there was the odd moment of difficulty is something every company could learn from – their attitude helped the audience feel at ease and laugh. There is nothing worse than going to see a comedy play and feel like you’re being told off for laughing. And there were plenty of intentional and unintentional moments of guffaw funny scenes which they all had the confidence and professional attitude to let happen: huge well done to every single actor on the stage. 

There were so many standout moments in the show: pictures that linger long after the play finishes. The way Bridget the Maid (Sue Davies) was picked up by Jack the Chauffeur (Yana Mason), leaving her legs running on the spot in the air; Edward Bennett (Andy Bennett) swanning down the stairs in the most bizarre dressing gown and ridiculous hat; Bridget’s various antics such as hitting people with her duster and keeping coming through different doors and growling at people; Walter Pearce (Ian Bratley) responding to the description of how he should be looking while ‘dead’ by altering his position to what was being said – far too many to list them all. Although, special mention has to be made of the inimitable and imagination filled dance styling of Steffi Huxley as Victoria Van Roth. The other characters reactions to her just carrying on in her own world made it even funnier: resulting in so much laughter it made some people dab their eyes. Brilliant. 

What was clear was what a well brought together team this is, and their performances on the stage showed how much fun they were having, which always makes a huge positive difference to the audience. Andy Bennett as Edward Bennett had great deadpan sardonic and sarcastic yet relaxed delivery of his lines worthy of Coward himself: a joy to watch. All the actors did well, and another mention has to go to Sue Davies as Bridget the jaded and sarcastic maid, with superb delivery of her one liners. Edward asking her for help with a crossword puzzle clue was a particular favourite moment, when he asked her for a five letter word meaning tranquility, with middle letter A, and she responded with a fierce and steadfast “death’. The inventiveness of the interruption to move “the body” in a blue blackout treating as an old fashioned television cutout with announcement so they could position him, was a stroke of genius, garnering its own applause. 

Another strength this company has is in costume, they all looked like their slightly larger than life characters, as is the style of this play. Steffi’s costume was elaborate, quirky and gorgeous: everyone looked their exact characters including hair and makeup. Kirsti Bennett-Koster's accent as Erika really helped the portrayal, and the differentiation between Edward Bennett’s writer’s ensemble and Walter Pearce as the politician was well thought out. 

It really was a hugely entertaining and fun evening with a great atmosphere from a lovely company. Congratulations to director Becks Heard for inspiring everyone and creating such a lovely vision of a crazy play, and to everyone involved in this quirky and fun production. 

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