Murder on the Disorientated Express

For their 2023 Summer production this club decided to try something different – a murder mystery evening. The story was that one 1938 morning Dr Werner von Black, an eminent German rocket designer, had been found murdered in his couchette on the famous train travelling from Istanbul to Constantinople. The train’s conductor Gard E Lou expertly played by Stuart McMain (complete with Rene Artios french accent) led the investigation with the right mix of authority and humour as he circled the hall enlisting the help of unsuspecting victims – I mean audience members – to question the 12 passengers/suspects. In this he was aided by his Dr Watsonesque side-kick Arthur Rity (Michael Wakefield). The passengers were a disparate group – Drew Rorschachblots (Grahame Whyte) an Austrian psychoanalyst paid by the German government to treat the victim; Heidi Evidence (Aneeka Anderson) a Swiss bank clerk who had once had a relationship with the victim; Ivan Ego (Alex Busch) a pessimistic Russian scientist fond of a vodka or two; Annie Wheppon (Stephanie Wild) an English academic (and spy) who found the body; Herr Cutt (Colin Jones) a German spy, and Dr von Black’s minder, posing as an over-the-top camp German barber; Kiki de’ Leggs (Annick Shaw) a flirtatious, saucy French cancan dancer (and spy); Eddy Lines (Carla Barber) an American journalist (and spy) looking to get an interview with the victim; Lida Hosen (Ashley Mildon) an Austrian lingerie shop owner who had once received unwanted sexual advances from the victim; Jean Paul Goateebeard (Richard Stables) a French fashion designer who was interested in collaborating with the victim in developing flame-retardant clothing; Phil Ming (Erik Esson) the ever camera toting scion of a large American fireworks firm; Jemma Stone (Nina McKay) an Amsterdam diamond trader who held a grudge against the German authorities for confiscating some her precious stones and last but not least Maria Vontrapped(Hilary Esson) a middle-aged Austrian singer, who was want to burst into song at the drop of a brown paper package, and friend of the victim. Not once throughout the evening did the actors drop their characterisations or accents, even when circulating amongst the audience during the intervals between rounds of questions. The audience were seated at 12 tables set around a central playing area with low rostra on which the actors could stand to introduce themselves and to answer the questions from the audience. At the denouement all 12 suspects gathered on the rostra as each of the tables announced who they thought the murder was and why they had done the foul deed. Some of their findings were hilarious as were the suspects reactions to them! One by one Gard E Lou eliminated the suspects from his enquiries until we were left with only one – but which one was it? Well one table did get it correct on the night I was there! This was director Carla Barber’s directorial debut and a superb job she made of it. She, her actors, technical crew and everyone at Culter Theatre Club are to be congratulated on an excellent evening’s entertainment.

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