Death Us Do Part

Phoenix Players are a group that never shy away from the unusual, and they are at it again with a new play written by Monica Yell with more than a slight nod to the great Agatha Christie.  In a fun touch, the audience were invited to identify the murderer during the interval – needless to say my guess was completely wrong, but I enjoyed exercising the little grey cells nonetheless! 

The plot of Death Us Do Part hinges around the marriage of Theo Lockwood and Daphne Brown, in the year 1918.  Gathering at the Lockwood stately home, we meet Theo’s parents, Lady Constance and Sir Ozias, along with his best friend Gerald Cavendish, still suffering from shellshock following his experiences in the Great War.  Making up the wedding party alongside Daphne are her friend Rose (a nurse – always suspicious when poisoning is a possibility) and toping father John.  When hapless housekeeper Mrs Ranick is murdered, it becomes clear that one of the party must be the murderer.  But who? 

The ensemble cast did a great job in bringing out the different characters of the play.  As Lady Constance, Samm Lees had a nicely clipped tone and a touch of the Lady Bracknell’s, whilst Rob Warnes was suitably hangdog as her put-upon husband Sir Ozias, until that is there is a murder to investigate and the character’s dormant detective skills come to life.  He formed a nice, Holmes and Watson style, detective double act with Katie Cherry’s Daphne, who was full of lightbulb moments and very good at depicting a poisoning victim as things took a nasty third-act turn.

Baz Stilinski’s Theodore Lockwood was very much the charming young groom, and at the centre of a great twist that I didn’t see coming (although, in retrospect, all the clues were there).  In a neat bit of character building, he had an impressive scar (well done to the make-up team), which instantly told you something about his nature.  As his old army friend Gerald, Philip Leigh gave an intense performance, clearly showing the character’s struggles to recover from his experiences in the trenches.  Elsewhere, Nicole Laffan was convincing as the surely too good to be true best friend Rose, and Graham Robson had a high old time as the drunken father of the bride. 

Rachel Harris gave an entertaining performance as the unfortunate murder victim Mrs Ranick, pinching the whisky and permanently out of puff as she tried to keep the house running on her own.  And David Hopkins was nicely bemused as Father Elton, who unexpectedly found himself party to a murder investigation.  The cast was completed by Hannah Perrin and Fiona Robson as the Police Constable and Inspector respectively, who – as is often the case – turned up to arrest the perpetrators once the characters had solved the crime for themselves!

The play was well directed by Karen McDonald and Adam Rastall, with a keen eye for the classic murder mystery tropes.  A highlight was a triple interrogation of three of the suspects, which was well conceived and very effectively delivered.  The tone of the play varied somewhat during the evening, sometimes feeling like an affectionate spoof on the stately home mystery and at other times like a much more serious play tackling themes such as shellshock and controlling behaviour.  The conclusion also highlighted that very thin line between tragedy and farce.  Whilst it occasionally left me feeling a bit discombobulated, the shifting tone certainly provided variety and kept us on our toes through the play’s nearly three-hour running time. 

The Lockwood’s house was represented by a very impressive set – every inch the Christie-style stately home and dressed with some nice period furniture.  This was effectively and efficiently transformed into a church towards the end of the show, with a particularly impressive cross and representation of a stained glass window.  The effort that had been put into creating these sets was clear to see, and they really elevated the play.  It would have been nice to see a light switch on the wall, though!  Suitably chosen costumes and props, along with effective lighting, enhanced the period charm.

My congratulations to Phoenix Players for presenting a thoroughly entertaining murder mystery.  It’s always great to see new work, and I see that this will continue with the Players’ forthcoming panto, Peter Pan & The Lost Marbles, written by Baz Stilinski.  I look forward to seeing what the team have in store! 

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