Murder on the Nile

The glamour of a Nile River Cruise in the 1930’s was set beautifully as the curtains opened to the audible pleasure of the audience. The gentle underscored action set the scene as we awaited the passengers’ arrival. The well-drawn characterisation of Canon Pennefather kept the piece on an even keel although at times the class distinction was not as evident as it should have been within the passenger groups. The characters of Kay and Simon were well devised and believable as were William, Jacqueline and the French maid Louise. But there was an imbalance in certain scenes that slowed the action down and caused the audience to lose focus on the plot. The audience engagement on an Agatha Christie is not difficult as we usually know ‘who done it’, as we have seen it before, but the glamour and beauty of the 1930’s captures our imagination, unfortunately this journey was a bit choppy. Pace is essential on a play like this along with a sense of period style, and social etiquette is the key, at times this was very evident but unravelled in places mainly due to lost lines and inappropriate clothing. This reminded us that we were sitting in a theatre not travelling down the Nile. But all that said the audience has welcomed the Thespians back to the Brewhouse with open arms, supporting the company with good houses, what more could a company want.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.