Murdered to Death

On Saturday 19th October, I was pleased to accept an invitation to see Peter Gordon’s ‘Murdered to Death’, presented by The Longton Players. I wasn’t familiar with the play before I went to see it but was intrigued by the description of ‘a murder mystery comedy’.

'Murdered to Death' is a comedic spoof on classic British murder mysteries, set in a 1930s English country manor. The plot revolves around an eclectic group of characters, including the delightfully clueless Inspector Pratt, who bumbles his way through the investigation of a mysterious death. As the inept inspector and his sharp-witted, cynical sidekick, Sergeant Thompkins, attempt to piece together the evidence, secrets are uncovered, alibis crumble, and suspects multiply. The suspects—a quirky mix of aristocrats, their guests, and suspicious staff—each harbour secrets, giving rise to multiple motives and plenty of comedic misdirection. With witty dialogue, slapstick humour, and plenty of red herrings, ‘Murdered to Death’ playfully lampoons the traditional whodunnit while keeping audiences guessing and laughing until the final, unexpected twist.

Before I get into my report on the play, I’m going to address something that happened at the performance, which has become a depressing reality of modern theatre, both professional and amateur - audience behaviour. Since I became the District 2 Rep, I have encountered disruptive behaviour at almost every one of the twenty or so shows I’ve attended. Patrons who refuse to switch off their mobile devices, groups having animated conversations mid-show, people loudly snacking with complete disregard for the noise they’re making and so on. 

At this performance of ‘Murdered to Death’, the behaviour of some sections of the audience was nothing short of appalling. To the point where I couldn’t understand why the show wasn’t stopped to have a large group of audience members removed. These people had clearly been drinking, and continued doing so throughout the play. They were dropping glasses of wine on the floor, messing with their phones, openly and loudly discussing the play, shouting out their less-than-insightful theories on the murderer, smashing open a Terry’s Chocolate Orange on a chair, pretending to yawn, making sporadic barking noises (I’m not joking) and arguing with each other. Thankfully, they weren’t on the front row, distracting the actors. Oh, wait. They WERE on the front row, right in front of the actors. Absolutely appalling behaviour from a group of fully grown adults, who I presume were probably raised to treat other people better. It went beyond rudeness and well into blatant disrespect. Quite simply, this was the absolute worst behaviour that I’ve ever seen in the theatre and the people responsible should reconsider any future plans to buy tickets. Strong words, I know but it really was THAT bad.

Why have I spent a lengthy paragraph of this show report discussing this unpleasantness, I hear you wonder? Well, the main reason is that it allows me to focus on my first positive about the play itself… Throughout this hugely disruptive behaviour, the cast appeared to be almost entirely unflappable, which is astonishing. If they were aware of what was happening, they simply refused to allow it to put them off their stride, and were insistent on delivering the best possible version of the play that they’d put their heart and soul into. To put it plainly, it was marvellous to see!

The play was directed by Maureen Nickson and throughout the evening, her experience and skill shone through in spades. The play was precisely and intricately directed, with barely a trick missed. Timing was the order of the day, given the type of comedy performance this was and Nickson’s deft touch was clear to see throughout. In the programme, she describes this play as being ‘laugh out loud’ and on the night, disruptions aside, I couldn’t have agreed more. It was hilarious!

The play itself is set in one room of a country house in the 1930s, and the set by John Worrall-McBride, Shaun Mark and Mark Deighton was excellent. Everything felt very authentic and the team were able to make the most of what was a quite limited amount of space. Top notch work. Props by Jenny Ashby further enhanced the realism, and were endlessly interesting to look at. Costumes were by the cast and Maureen Nickson and were period-accurate, colourful and tasteful. John Tipping and John Broadley further brought the set to life with their sympathetic and inventive sound and lighting design respectively. Never intrusive, always only adding more to the world of the play.

Good design can sometimes make a limited performance space feel expansive and this is precisely what the assembled cast, creatives and technicals managed with this production of ‘Murdered to Death’. Kudos to all involved.

To the performances, then. Much positivity to report here, too.

The Lady of the House, Mildred, was played with a near-frantic nervous energy by Liz Hobin, whose performance put me in mind of the wonderful Penelope Wilton. Perfectly capable of delivering regal and neurotic, in equal measure, Hobin gave a wildly entertaining performance which was the central core of the show. Her untimely demise robbed us of her excellent work on stage.

Mildred’s secret beau, married man Colonel Charles Craddock was played with devilish charm and good old-fashioned grit by Mike Stockley. The Colonel drinks his way through the play and wins the award for ‘Character Most Likely to Exclaim “" Dash It All”’ Stockley’s performance was always tongue-in-cheek but never wandered into caricature, which is a fine line to be able to tread. A sure sign of a skilled actor.

Colonel Craddock’s long-suffering wife, Margaret was played by Jill Thompson, who did an admirable job in the role. Of all the characters on stage, I thought this would be the easiest one to get wrong; it’d be easy to play her as a classic, complaining wife and for her to become quite two dimensional. However, Thompson’s sensitive and clever portrayal meant this didn’t happen, and Margaret was a truly interesting character. And funny, too!

Mildred’s niece, Dorothy, was skillfully played by Briony Rimmer and I felt that she did an excellent job of making the character her own. Running backward and forward to the kitchen, trying in vain to cook up a feast in the midst of the chaos on stage, Rimmer cut an impressive figure and carried a lot of the play’s emotional content on her shoulders. A sensitive and engaging performance from a talented actor.

Bunting, the quirky and deeply frustrating man-servant of Mildred’s country home, was played with a unique quality by Cliff Sale. Initially, I wondered if his deliberate, drawling delivery of lines might prove a touch grating but it quickly became an intrinsically hilarious part of the play. Sale’s comic timing was impeccable and how he managed to keep a straight face throughout the play is largely beyond me. And when the moment came for his character to make a sharp about turn, he grasped the opportunity with glee.

Mary Peck played glamourous socialite with a secret, Elizabeth Hartley-Trumpington with a never-diminishing twinkle in her eye, and her moments of double-entendre never missed. This was a confident, stylish performance of a character that felt very familiar in this type of play, but Peck imbued her with far more energy and sparkle than many other actors might have. An excellent performance.

As this play is a spoof of the well-known works of Agatha Christie, it was imperative that we saw a high-quality performance of Miss Maple (not a typo!), the astute amateur sleuth, famed for encountering deadly crime wherever she goes. Joan Miller revelled in this role, and was quite simply hilarious throughout. As with the other performers I’ve mentioned, it was her comic timing that did most of the heavy lifting but when paired with her gentle shuffling around the stage and near-ceaseless knitting, we got a character to remember. Very strong work from a talented performer.

When the bodies begin to pile up, a pair of hapless police officers are dispatched to solve the case - Constable Thompkins and Inspector Pratt. This is the point in the play at which the comedy finds a new gear and the laughter begins to ramp up. The crime-fighting double act drives the narrative forward at a pace and adds a new dimension to the play, which comes at exactly the right time.

The straight-man of the two is Constable Thompkins, played with tongue very firmly rooted in cheek, by the talented Adam G Smith. His character got funnier as he became increasingly frustrated at the blatant ineptitude of his commanding officer, culminating in the moment in which he is shot in the foot during a bungled reconstruction of a fatal shooting. This moment was played beautifully, and Smith’s reactions were outstanding. Very, very funny stuff. A confident performance from yet another talented actor in this play.

And that leaves one - Inspector Pratt, played by The Longton Players’ Chairman, James Miley, who gave us nothing short of a star turn in the role. Immediately after arriving on stage, it would be forgivable to presume that we were seeing *yet another* theatrical detective with something to prove but then the subtle shift happens. We begin to quickly realise that this character knows nothing. In fact, he knows less than nothing. He is ineptitude personified and it is rib-crackingly hilarious. Miley’s performance was outstanding from first line to last, and every moment that he spent on stage was high-value. His ability to keep a straight face in the midst of unbelievable chaos was unmatched and he is to be commended on a standout performance in a very strong ensemble. Bravo.

‘Murdered to Death’ was a triumph and although I went home enraged by the behaviour of the audience, who would have derailed a less accomplished group of performers, I couldn’t help but marvel at what an achievement this play was. The pacing, comic timing, clever direction, inventive characterisation, impressive technical work - the list goes on. Top notch work from a very talented group of people.

I look forward to whatever The Longton Players put up next. Thanks again for the invitation, warm hospitality and hearty laughter.

 

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