Murder On The Nile

                                          

I was warmly welcomed on arrival by Brenda White-Robinson at Front of House and met the Director Rachael Welham during the interval.

Once again Terry White and the team had designed and built a very attractive set, this time supposedly the lounge of a ship cruising the Nile .There were good entrances/exits with a staircase to the left and large windows to the rear. A bar was included and several tables and chairs on stage all the time meant that there was no need for the movement of props on and off the stage but of course a prop gun was used ! Lighting was fine and a good level of sound was achieved as all the cast projected their voices well and could be heard clearly. Costumes supplied by the society were all of the early 1940s and some of the ladies’ dresses were quite sumptuous.

The acting and movement on stage was extremely good with stellar performances from a number of the cast .Act One opened with two peddlars, played by Keith Sippitt and Charlotte Root doing their best to annoy the passengers by pestering them to buy beads and trinkets. The honeymooning newly weds Simon and Kay Mostyn played by Edward Groombridge and Phoebe Walkey were very well paired with Edward as a personable and caring husband and Phoebe a rich socialite who was murdered. Louise, the maid was played by Corrina Groombridge, her sly manner suggesting that she was well aware of under currents and would exploit every opportunity to her advantage. Dean Kiely played a strong role as Canon Pennefather,  Kay’s guardian and he took on the role of detective in his quest to discover the truth and unmask the murderer.

There was a great role for Assistant Director Nicole Eve, as the wealthy, entitled and snobbish Miss Ffoliat-ffoulkes and Nicole carried this well. She certainly looked down on her niece Christina Grant, whom she treated as a servant. Alexandra Lynch played Christina in a sensible and sweet tempered way whilst enduring her aunt’s behaviour.

Smith, well played by James Hooker was an interesting character and James interpreted this rather enigmatic man well. Whilst looking very scruffy he had a rather refined voice but appeared to dislike the ‘upper class’ guests on the ship.

Jacqueline de Severac played by Natalie Dwan was the ex-fiance of Simon Mostyn and Natalie captured this moody and bitter character expertly.

Dr Bessner had a small but important role played by John Roberts who did well especially in trying to dress Simon’s leg wound after he had been shot.  Ian Reed-Golden was frequently seen as the Steward always friendly and patient with the wealthy guests.

Keith Sippitt had a niche spot as a Police Officer and Charlotte Root appeared again, this time as the Ship’s Captain.

How many clues, true and false, were the audience given ? In true Agatha Christie style the many hidden agendas served to distract us to the end.

This was a compelling performance by this talented society and all credit to Director Rachael Welham for her interpretation and innovation.

I enjoyed it very much as did the audience.

 

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