Murder on the Nile

Another excellent set from the creative brushes of Nigel and Brenda Holmes, and costumes good from Jean Clarke.  Director Cheryl Collings kept a tight hand on a well chosen cast and kept the tension and suspense moving (even for those who could remember who had done it in this Agatha Christie). What a good play for the holiday makers to enjoy and delighted at your excellent support.

The atmosphere enhanced to the east and adding to the setting with the Beadseller and the Steward from Lyndsey and John King.

Pleased to see that you retained and encouraged some of the younger element after their youth plays earlier in the year, so good to see the young married couple and the jealous lover at the right sort of age as makes more credible. A good looking couple in Lottie Waller and Will Houghton as the newly-weds Mostyns on honeymoon, and definitely a strong portrayal from the young Jacqueline of Jac Gatfield, very well reacted in the various conversations, these relationships worked well.

Lesley Dillon gave a polished and professional performance as Miss ffolliot-ffoulkes as anticipated and certainly one would not like to cross swords with her in her snobbish world. And as her niece Christina was so put upon, Judy Ellson managed to look downtrodden in spite of encouragement from the provoking Mr Smith. And Paul Reynolds had the timing off pat and gained the laughs and generally rallied the troops and made them think, a very nice characterisation.  The German Doctor Bessner from Neil Ellson was well maintained in accent and character and strong in insistence for attention. And as maid Louise, Bea Gatfield seemed unimportant for most of the action but came into her own during the final questioning.  Tony Loftus was dragged from his home to be an ideal Captain of few but important lines.

And the performance of many lines, of major interactions with all the characters in turn and in groups, not Poirot but Cannon Pennefather, Ian Cashmore had the whole plot to unravel into some semblance of logic and how well he extracted the subplots and major incidents, definitely a role worthy of his pedigree.

A really good evening entertainment and much enjoyed by all in the audience, a proper classic.

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