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Murdered to Death

Author: Kei Bailey

Information

Date
2nd May 2024
Society
South Kesteven Acting and Musical Players
Venue
Bourne Corn Exchange
Type of Production
Play
Director
Adrian Worgan
Assistant Director
Alison Kirby
Written by
Peter Gordon

I have to admit I have a real weakness for a good comedy murder mystery; eccentric characters, incompetent detectives, silly gags, double entendre, slapstick, all with a grisly murder and an intriguing whodunnit throw in. And if you want a good comedy murder mystery, you can’t go far wrong with one of Peter Gordon’s Inspector Pratt plays. Murdered to Death was the first to be written and has been widely performed, both professionally and on the amateur circuit.

The play is set in the mid-1930s and begins with the murder of a wealthy widower at a dinner party she is hosting. The guests include her dowdy niece, a glamorous socialite, a French art dealer, a bluff Colonel, his steely wife and a busybody amateur sleuth called Miss Maple (who has more than a passing resemblance to a famous Agatha Christie creation). Cue Inspector Pratt and his long-suffering assistant, Constable Thompkins, to solve the crime and unveil the murderer. However, in the best traditions of using charactonyms, the Inspector’s name suggests a distinctive trait about his personality. Yes, you’ve got it, Pratt by name, pratt by nature; meaning the investigation isn’t as efficient as it should be.

The role of Inspector Pratt was played by Andrew Tiplady and, as I watched, I could clearly see he was having great fun in the part. His bumbling physicality and clumsy mannerisms were good and there were some well-rehearsed slapstick scenes. I particularly enjoyed his ‘French’ dialogue with Pierre and his attempt to eat a cream cake was a highlight. It is a very wordy role, littered throughout with clever malapropisms and Andrew should be commended for delivering his lines with ease.  

The Inspector’s counterpart is Constable Thompkins, a keen and eager young village ‘bobby’ who is evidently the brains behind the partnership. Through the chaos created by Pratt that surrounds him, he closely observes all and quietly pieces the puzzle together. Jason Wilson was delightful in this role and his characterisation was wonderfully understated. His subtle facial expressions were ‘spot-on’, and the delivery of his discreet sarcastic comments was perfection.

Also, on hand to offer her expertise to the Inspector, was Joan Maple, played with enthusiastic vigour by Christine Weldrake. Christine was definitely channelling Margaret Rutherford in her portrayal of this role with her forthright and brusque characterisation. It was wonderful to see her command the stage with her bold, bossy demeanour, dropping undisguised hints for a dinner invite to avoid the ‘cold collation’ awaiting her at home. I really enjoyed the lines inferring her nephew’s sexuality woven through the script which Christine delivered with oblivious innocence.

The murder victim, Mildred Bagshot, only appeared in the first scene, but Libby Barber who played the role, made the most of this and embraced her opportunity to impress. Libby had a lovely stage presence, and her diction and RP accent were good. Her interactions with her niece, Dorothy, were beautifully performed and they both should be congratulated on some strong improvisation to cover the late entry of a character.

Lydia Henderson played Dorothy Foxton the niece with a great deal of skill and stagecraft. It was a tricky role to undertake as the character is quite bland and plain. However, Lydia managed to inject some great light and shade into the role, and I particularly like the way she performed alongside Pierre Marceau, revealing hidden depths to her character.

Pierre Marceau was the art dealer whose secrets were gradually revealed as the plot unfolded, and Paul Butcher’s credible French accent really helped bring this character to life. Paul was very watchable, and he captured the shrewd and shady manner needed for this role. Without giving away too much of the storyline away, I was very impressed with his shift in characterisation when on stage alone with suspect number three, Elizabeth Hartley-Trumpington, who was equally adept at this change in manner and accent.

This role was taken by Emma Rogers and, I have to say, I was incredibly captivated with her performance. From the moment she entered, in the most beautiful period costume, I was drawn to her acting. She moved around the stage with elegance and sophistication, brandishing her cigarette holder with glee. Her vampish portrayal was precise and full of well-observed detail, paying close attention to posture, body language and accent(s). Just fabulous.

Another extremely polished performance was that of Sarah Owen who played Margaret Craddock, she was a joy to watch. I loved her sharply delivered acidic quips and spiky comments to her husband and the Inspector. She scowled her way through the proceedings (if looks could kill!), and these facial expressions were wonderful, oozing with disdain. Her prickly mannerisms worked brilliantly in unison with her tone of voice.

Margaret’s husband was Colonel Charles Craddock and was played by David Weldrake, a newcomer to the stage, I understand. The portrayal was strong and enjoyable to watch. He managed to capture the essence of the character and was obviously having a great time delivering lines about ‘mental indigestion’ and the hostess’s ‘enormous assets’. David certainly brought the pomp and bluster one would expect to this ‘murder mystery’ stereotype, and a ‘posher’ plummy accent would have complemented his characterisation a little more.

Completing the ensemble was our final suspect, Bunting the butler, played with sardonic relish by Bill Lawrence. This was a fabulous character and Bill’s skilful performance was super.  I enjoyed the deadpan delivery and his cynical asides. His drunken scene was a show-stealer. Acting drunk isn’t easy, but Bill did justice to it with a suitable exuberance that wasn’t too over the top – I wonder how much research he did!

I’d like to congratulate director, Adrian Worgan, and his assistant, Alison Kirby, for providing their actors with every opportunity to shine. Their production values were high and their attention to detail was strong. The set was very good and well-constructed, helping create the atmosphere of the era, along with period items used to dress the set such the telephone, drink decanters and ornaments. Maybe the use of wallpaper would have given an added richness to the surroundings. Also, decorated flats behind doorways instead of black curtain can give a set more depth, but I do understand this isn’t always possible with stage space.

The costume team of Becki Olver, Jo Henderson and Alison Kirby had sourced some excellent pieces, very reminiscent of the 1930s and this really did help enhance the characters. The only costume which didn’t feel as evocative of the time period was Mildred Bagshot’s evening dress. Elizabeth’s opening costume was truly stunning.

Well done to stage manager, Lucy Abbey, for running the show so smoothly, and congratulations to the technical team, Adrian Worgan, Stuart Giddings, Alison Kirby and Simon Sleight, for providing some good lighting and sound. The lighting in particular was very strong; the actors’ faces were lit beautifully as was the full stage. I very much liked the use of the standard lamp; it was a lovely detail. Some of the sound cues could have been sharper, and I was intrigued why radio mics were being used for a play. Afterwards, it was explained that mics were used to enhance voices, which I’m all for, however, they need to be used consistently for this to be effective and not distracting. There was some crackle and one of the mics kept dropping in and out. I was thrilled to hear the use of the Miss Marple theme as incidental music.

Barbie Miller and Tracy Hulme on front of house were friendly and efficient and made me very welcome at my first SKAMP’s production as their new NODA representative. The programme design was very professional as was the banner that greeted me as I arrived.  I liked the cabaret style seating, and I absolutely loved the table decorations: old books, teacups, poison bottles . . . mine had a sign on it that read, ‘I can’t believe they thought it was me’. This was inspired and really set the tone for the production.

Congratulations to Adrian, Alison and the whole team for a wonderfully fun evening of entertainment. This was a quality show, and I am very excited to see what the society has in store for me in the future.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.

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