Sleighed To Death

Written by Peter Gordon, Sleighed to Death is a comedy farce, set in the country home of Sir Walton Gates at Christmas.

The set is very good and has had lots of attention to detail to give it a nice Christmassy feel, complete with a tree and lights. The props make a nice touch and are just right for the country house. The lighting and sound effects are good. The costumes are also good and right for the different characters.

Director Ingrid Bond, has a great cast for this play. Everyone plays their part well and they all have great characterisations. A lot of work has gone into the diction which is clear. Chris Willsher plays Sergeant Pratt, who has come to the house to do magic tricks to raise money for the Police Benevolent Fund. He thinks he's very clever at the magic but those watching just go along with it. The Sergeant has a great way of talking, everything he says isn't quite how it should be said. It's very clever as you understand what he is actually saying but it's not quite right. This is done with great ease, and Chris must have had to work really hard to get it all right. His assistant is Constable Mary Potter played by Hannah Rogers. She seems to be the only one of them that has any sense. She always has to be the one that knows what's going on. They work very well together and there are some nice silly moments between them.

Emma Gates is played by Cally Van De Paul, she is the daughter of Sir Gates and is home for the holidays. She has brought along her friend James Washington played by Michael Reynolds - they both work well together, James however, has met one member of the family before. Stevie Parker plays Morag McKay, she is the secretary to Sir Gates, and is very organised, she is constantly tidying up after him. Stevie is great in the role and provides a calming atmosphere when everyone else is falling apart around her. Vic Milne is well cast as Sir Walton Gates, he has all the right mannerisms of an eccentric aristocrat. He tries to keep the family peace. Sir Walton has remarried a much younger woman and Michele Arkle plays Lady Grace Gates, she clearly enjoys her new found wealth and is quite happy helping Sir Gates spend his money. Michele has Lady Grace down to a t, she is very loud and flamboyant. She has met her step daughter's 'friend' James before. Mark Gammon plays Archie Gates the estranged brother of Sir Walton. He too is home for Christmas from Australia where he has lived for years. He has a great dodgy accent.

This was a very fast moving comedy thriller with first rate performances from the entire cast. I enjoyed this production very much as did the audience. Well done. 

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