Death In High Heels

Death in High Heels, by Richard Harris, is a comedy whodunit, set in a small London fashion house in 1937. The boss has announced that he is opening a new shop in France and there is much speculation as to who will be moving in to run it.  It is decided it will probably be between the elegant and talented, Miss Caroline Doon or the serious, hard working, Miss Zelda Gregory, the latter being disliked by the staff.  After a lunch of rabbit curry one of the contenders falls ill and dies.  It then needs the police to solve the crime by uncovering the many secrets hidden by the staff.

Shanklin theatre is always adequately staffed and despite a capacity of circa 600 the first night of this production was quite well attended with an audience of around 130.

The programme had potted biographies of the cast plus some pictures of the rehearsals and posters of previous productions and there was the usual list of the cast and the production team. The cover predominantly black and white with a red high-heeled shoe was quite basic but in all fairness was available for a voluntary donation.

The set was excellent and as the entire play takes place in the one location there was no need for any changes. The set dressing, costumes and make-up all helped set the scene for the1930’s period. The costumes were particularly good but he owner, Mr Bevan could have been made to look more debonair and successful looking.

The production moved along quite smoothly and all concerned projected well and were very audible. The Director made good use of the size of the stage and the positioning of the actors utilised this to the full.

All in all it was very well received and the laughter of the audience was not only spontaneous but obviously a genuine indication of their enjoyment.

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