Spider's Web

“Spider’s Web” by the prolific author “Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie”, is her second most successful play after the renowned “The Mousetrap”. She wrote the play that we saw this evening in 1956 and it is no wonder that it is so popular. The action of the plot keeps you guessing right up to the end despite the cleverly hidden revealed facts throughout the two and a half hours of dialogue.

The three main characters inveigled into the scenario of hiding a dead body because of an important government meeting were Sir Rowland (Richard Tyrrell), Hugo Birch (David Griffin), and Jeremy Warrender (Craig Parker). Clarissa Hailsham-Brown (Clarice Ryan) was the lady trying to use these delaying tactics to her guardian, Sir Rowland and her two friends. She and the three gentlemen had masses of dialogue and coped with it absolutely superbly for the whole time frame. Their individual characteristics were well defined and we were able to understand what they were doing and why.

Oliver Costello (Jay Griffiths) was the murder victim - an unpleasant person who was out to get all that he could by fair means or foul. This was convincingly enacted. Pippa Hailsham-Brown (Hattie Bennett) was the step-daughter of Clarissa and played the part of the child beautifully. Her father, Henry Hailsham-Brown (Gordon Keys) had two appearances in the action of the tale and had little to do the main theme of the storyline. Mildred Peak (Julie Cleasby) is the odd-ball lady who appears to be a nobody but in fact is integral and vitally essential to the plot. She was a happy person who kept the rest of the cast and audience amused and in a state of light-heartedness and merriment. When the police arrived to deal with the murder enquiry, the matter-of-fact Inspector  Lord (Rhys Bloy) took main-stage with the possible suspects for the crime. This was another amount of busy dialogue extremely well rehearsed and suitably portrayed.

The set was a lounge with appropriate furniture and fixtures with four entries/exits used to great effect. Costumes were all very much in keeping with the period.

Thank you and congratulations to the director, cast and production team for a brilliant evening, trying to spot the clues and attempting to solve the crime before the constabulary did.

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