Searching for Doctor Branovic

The best thing about any mystery is how it keeps the audience guessing until the very end and this play certainly does just that. Interestingly it is also a comedy and the performance shows the company made the most of both aspects.
Laura Willis (Emma Tyler) mourns the sudden and unexpected death of her husband, Joe (Garry Hutchings). But all is not as it seems and, deep in the bowels of the nearby hospital, something stirs. Enter Detective Inspector Monroe (Rick Tovery), who soon finds himself right in the middle of another mystery which threatens to unhinge his sanity. How did Joe manage to walk out of his own post-mortem?

Where is the mysterious Doctor Branovic (Chris Wrein) though? Yet another mystery! He keeps the audience guessing through all the twists and turns right up to the end. Mrs Bannister, an undertaker, (Viv Hutchings) is a kindly old soul who keeps a watchful eye over her young, recently widowed neighbour, the daughter of a late friend.

The set was at times quite basic but was perfect for this play. Also despite not using mics, we heard every word of the dialogue; not just down to the acoustics of the venue but mainly the ability of the cast. There were many moments though to savor in this mystery. However the general characterization was exceptionally good both in the acting and the varied types of speech.
I congratulate Beryl Buckle, director, assisted by Darrell Hutchings, for maintaining the audiences full interest throughout the whole evening. An excellent show! Well done!

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