Spider's Web

It was a pleasure to return to the welcoming environs of the Norbury Theatre for their resident group’s latest production – in this case a play from the pen of the renowned writer Agatha Christie.

The plot of Spider’s Web sees Clarissa Hailsham-Brown, wife of diplomat Henry Hailsham-Brown, attempting to cover up the murder of Oliver Costello, an unwelcome visitor to her suspiciously cheap country residence.  Believing that her step-daughter Pippa is involved in the murder, Clarissa enlists the help of her former guardian, Sir Rowland Delahaye, and houseguests Hugo Birch and Jeremy Warrender in an attempt to hide the body before the Police arrive.  Needless to say, things don’t go entirely to plan and when Inspector Lord exposes the ruse, Clarissa and Sir Rowland initiate a sequence of improbable – and very Christie-ish – revelations to expose the real culprit. 

Spider’s Web hovers a little uncomfortably between drama and comedy – an early reviewer perceptively stated that “the common ground on which both sections may stand is dangerously small”.  This presents some difficulties for any company staging the play, and on occasion I wasn’t sure whether I was expected to laugh or gasp, and it was a bit strange to hear the audience laughing uproariously at the appearance of a dead body.  But on the whole the cast coped very well with these conflicting demands, keeping the pace up (albeit with the odd overlapping line), particularly as the twists towards the end of the play were revealed. 

The cast was led by Vicky Moloney, who was very good as Clarissa Hailsham-Brown (a role originally written for Margaret Lockwood), confidently carrying the play through the first half in particular, and showing effective comic timing.  Hugh Raymer admirably carried off the unenviable task of doubling up as both Henry Hailsham-Brown and Elgin, the butler – particularly difficult as at one point they appeared in quick succession.  Phoebe Fisher did very well as their daughter Pippa, especially early on as her careless strewing of the living room with her belongings struck a very realistic note! 

David Goode (Delahaye), James Cowlishaw (Birch) and Carl Paskin (Warrender) formed an effective and believable group as the three helpful (or are they?!) guests, and Miles Nicholls was suitably sinister as the unfortunate intruder Oliver Costello.  I initially felt that the tone of Zena Schtyk’s portrayal of the gardener Mildred Peake was at odds with the rest of the cast, but as it turned out this was part of a deception being perpetrated by the character, which was revealed later in the play.  As the Policemen on the case, Chris Broad was a confident Inspector Lord, and Nigel Payne bestowed Constable Jones with a creditable Welsh accent. 

Director Jenni Sinclair, taking charge of her first play at the Norbury, kept the action moving along efficiently after a slightly slow start (as much down to the nature of the script as anything), with good control of the key moments as the mystery was untangled in the final scene. 

The play was presented in a somewhat patchwork box set, representing the 1950s drawing room at the Hailsham-Brown home of Copplestone Court.  This was well furnished with items appropriate to the period.  However, I felt that there was a lack of attention to detail in some areas – for example the rear of the double doors (frequently on view) seemed unfinished and the moving bookcase ‘door’ (essential to the plot) was not deep enough to accommodate books.  Likewise with some of the props, as an otherwise period electric fire sported a modern white cable, and Constable Jones used a notebook with a bright blue plastic cover.  These may seem like fussy quibbles, but I did find them distracting.

Costumes were good and appropriate for the period, and the lighting was effective.  Scene changes were made by the cast, which was fine although they were done in silence – perhaps a bit of appropriate music could have been provided between scenes (and at the beginning of act 2, which started rather suddenly)?  Kudos, though, to the backstage team for the operation of the secret bookcase ‘door’, which worked very effectively. 

My thanks to all at the Norbury Players for their warm welcome and for an engaging evening’s sleuthing.  I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

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