Lord Arthur Savile's Crime

Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime is based on a short story by Oscar Wilde, which was first published in 1887, and was adapted as a play in 1952 by Constance Cox. I must admit, it was not what I was expecting, I did not expect for one minute to laugh as much as I did!

Lord Arthur Savile was told by a cheiromantist, a new word to me too, that it is his destiny to commit murder before he can marry his fiancée, with that in mind he makes several inept attempts to kill people. So, as you can see, I was not expecting so much laughter.

Stefan Dufaye as Lord Arthur Savile came across as not the sharpest tool in the box, as his future mother-in-law kept reminding us. Stefan was dominant on stage and carried the plot with expertise, ably assisted by his trusty butler Baines, played by Ian Davies. Ian played the part as dead pan and never faltered from this persona which caused much merriment among the audience. The bumbling Herr Winkelkopf, an anarchist, was beautifully played by Stephen Brunton, a part he first played 35 years ago. He was as eccentric as anyone you would expect to be playing such a role, coming up with numerous schemes to kill someone off.  

Hannah Lewitt, as Arthur’s intended, Sybil Merton, was a lovely fiancée, reacting as you would expect a bride-to-be to react so close to her wedding, her frustration with Arthur was clearly obvious. There was no doubt that she was ruled by her mother, Lady Julia Merton, played by Rosemary Bodger with her nose in the air, enough to display her disapproval of Arthur as a future son-in-law. Both ladies complemented each other very well and I enjoyed the interaction between them. Arthur’s great aunt, Lady Clementina Beauchamp, had obviously lived a full life and wanted to spend the remaining time left simply enjoying herself, this was evident in the way that Adrienne Swallow played the part, obtaining every comedic moment from the script with timing. Chris and Sarah Stanley also played their part as Dean of Paddington and Lady Windermere respectively, obviously understanding each other very well! Rob Lewis as Mr Podgers completed the line up as the cheiromantist who turned out to be a fraud, trying his hand at blackmail.

I must mention Abigail Skidmore as Nellie the Maid, this was her debut with The Players and no doubt we are going to see more of her in future productions, she appeared very confident on stage and gave a cheery performance.                                                                                                                                                 

Once again, the props, scenery and costume were true to the times, but I was drawn to Sybil’s blue gloves in the second act!  Attention to detail is certainly a strength of this group.

I must praise the cast on their projection and diction, never a word is lost, I find it refreshing to listen to a production where the cast do not rely on amplification.   

Lucy Dufaye must feel very satisfied with the way she directed her first production with Lichfield Players, there were no awkward movements and characters moved confidently around the set putting the audience at ease, able to sit back, relax and enjoy a well-produced play.

Once again, congratulations to everyone involved, I had a very enjoyable evening watching a very well executed drama.

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