Spider's Web

It was once again a pleasure to visit CODA for what promised to be an intriguing evening of entertainment. It was good to see so many audience members attending the performance and the pre-show atmosphere certainly suggested an engaging evening ahead.

Agatha Christie’s Spider’s Web is a 1954 comedy-thriller play that blends murder mystery with farce. It is actually her second most successful play, only surpassed by The Mousetrap. The plot centres on Clarissa Hailsham-Brown, wife of diplomat Henry Hailsham-Brown, who attempts to cover up the murder of Oliver Costello, an unwelcome visitor to her suspiciously cheap country residence. Believing that her stepdaughter 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 but as with every Agatha Christie play the question is always - whodunnit?

Michael Hall (Director and Production Manager), together with Hollie Heavans (Assistant Director), are to be congratulated for delivering a quality piece of theatre that included pace, polish, and cohesion. The staging was fluid, ensuring the story unfolded with clarity while allowing space for humour and character detail to shine. The strong cast had been carefully selected and demonstrated clear characterisation and precise dialogue. Together, Michael and Hollie provided a steady guiding hand, resulting in a quality production that was warmly received by the audience.

Congratulations once again to everyone at CODA and those directly involved with Spider’s Web. This was another most enjoyable production and one worthy of recognition.

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