Secondary Cause of Death

I was very much looking forward to seeing this production, especially as dreadful weather conditions had forced me to cancel my last year’s visit to the society.  No such problems this time. The evening was mild and it was lovely to see so many people pouring into the recently refurbished and very smart village hall to support their local drama group.

The play was new to me but from the brief synopsis in the programme I could see we were in for an evening of mystery and intrigue, not to mention a murder or three along the way.  Peter Gordon’s second in his trilogy of plays featuring the bumbling Inspector Pratt is full of twists and turns which certainly had us on the edge of our seats. Having not seen the first play in the trilogy I was not familiar with the characters, but after working out that probably no-one was who they appeared to be, I decided to just sit back, relax and watch events unfold.       

The curtains opened onto an authentic looking set with ‘wood panelled’ walls, representing the library at Bagshot House, a substantial property inherited by Colonel Charles Craddock and now a hotel for a select number of visitors.  A sofa and armchairs were well positioned, as were bookcases, a drinks table and fireplace, etc. all suitably dressed.

The year is 1939 and as we are frequently reminded by one of the guests, storm clouds are gathering over Europe.  Cynthia Maple, invited to arrange a Murder Mystery evening, was well played by Sian Watson. David Holliday  as both the Colonel and Cardew Longfellow, an actor chosen by Cynthia to be part of her plot, due to his uncanny likeness to the Colonel, gave a good performance although he did look a little ill at ease when playing the Colonel.  Could this have been intentional to convey the stiff upper lip expected of the English upper classes?  In contrast he was distinctly more animated as the American actor. Gill Wilson made the perfect Lady Isadora Pollock, her true identity being revealed only at the end. 

All the characters were very well portrayed.  Zoe Rowe-Pearce as Captain Henrietta Woolmer-Cardington with an unfortunate speech impediment and posing as an ATS officer and Callum BIrks who gave a terrific performance as Count Puchlik of Puszczykowo from Poland, later revealed to be a Nazi. Phoebe Foster-Barber as Martha Armstrong the Housekeeper and Cathy Shilling as Nurse Ann Parsley both fell victim to our murderer early on but nevertheless played a vital role in the proceedings.  Marilyn Edwards as Lily Tuthill the Cook, had to wait until almost the end before her time came to throw off her disguise, literally, and reveal her true identity

The star of the show was undoubtedly Keith Shilling as the incompetent, blundering Inspector Pratt, incapable of remembering a name, never mind solving a murder. A superb performance, blustering his way through his linguistic inadequacies to have the audience in fits of laughter throughout the evening.

A secret door and some clever action behind the sofa all added to the intrigue.  Sound effects were good and well timed, the exploding cigar and its aftermath very well done. Direction was good and costumes well thought out and suitable for the period.

I can’t finish without giving praise to The Last Drops whose music provided lively entertainment during the interval and after the show.  A nice touch.

My congratulations to all involved in this very enjoyable production.

Thank you for inviting me.

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