Strictly Murder

Strictly Murder – a play performed by Southport Dramatic Club on Friday, 31st January 2025 at Southport Little Theatre, Hoghton Street, Southport.

Strictly Murder is described as a ‘tense thriller’ filled with bluffs and double bluffs.  Written by an English Screenwriter and TV Producer Brian Clemence OBE... this ‘thriller’ is set in Provence, France in April 1939.  An English couple Peter Meredith and Suzy Hinchcliffe are living together in an idyllic isolated residence far away from the rumblings of the onset of war! We have a five-month time lapse between the end of Act 1 and the beginning of Act 2... during which time Suzy has developed a ‘bit of a bump’ and her life is turned upside down when she discovers/believes that she may well be living with a ‘ruthless killer’!  Lies, murder and subterfuge come to the fore ... twists, turns, bluff and double bluffs are all part of this thrilling plot, which leaves you thinking and second guessing yourself until the very end!

Production Team… Adrian Miles-Roberts (Director) was the person chosen to guide us through the many twists, turns, bluffs and double bluffs that this play offers and what a good job he made of it.  Adrian had at his disposal a good cast who helped him get this production to stage.  If you read Adrian’s programme notes, he talks about the fun, laughter and discussion that happened throughout rehearsal, most of the discussions centred on the subject matter and how to keep the thrill and intrigue to the fore, whilst allowing the scenes to develop naturally, which they did! This small cast, from the start looked engaged, well-rehearsed, happy and up for the challenges that lay ahead.  Congrats Adrian, good job ... well done!

The Cast...  I would suggest that every one of the five characters involved in this play are not who they first appear to be and one of the most interesting and fun aspects whilst watching, was to try and guess who they actually were and what dark secrets are they hiding ... and why!  Very much an ensemble piece with no actual ‘show stealer’ ... only a cast who worked ever so well together, creating many meaningful and colourful characters ... plus so much intrigue!  So, let’s have a look at the cast and their characters ...

i) Cate Leight and Richard Michell took on the ‘lead roles’ if you like... ‘Suzy Hinchcliffe’ and ‘Peter Meredith’ respectively. They were a couple, living together in an isolated French residence and who were supposedly planning, at some stage, to get married, which was brought to the fore when Suzy discovers that she was pregnant ... but was that the intention of both parties?  It was puzzling from the start, why two English people, one pregnant, were living in an isolated area of France with an impending war on the horizon... the first twist for me I think!  Cate and Richard created two totally believable characters, they worked ever so well together and there was a great chemistry between them both.  Loved the elements of mystery that just ‘hovered’ around both characters and even more so when you see Suzy ‘armed with a shotgun’ ... be ever so proud you two... how do you remember all those lines!

ii) Chris Smalley played the very odd, very mysterious, shotgun wielding neighbour of Susy and Peter’s ... ‘Josef’, a character who appears to have NO inhibitions and when we first meet him, he’s furtively entering and wandering around their home carrying a ‘shotgun’!  Who is he and what’s this guy up to?  Chris played this character with great aplomb. ‘Josef’ is the character who brings a little humour to this ‘dark play’.  Voice, mannerisms, movements were great, loved some of his fun lines and the ‘double-entendres’ ... be proud Chris another great character created, be proud!

iii) Tony O’Keefe played ‘Ross’ who manages to ‘die twice’.... you’ll have to watch it to understand that! I don’t want to give too much away about ‘Ross’ other than to say he wasn’t someone you’d want to meet in a dark alley and a character who moved easily between the good, the bad and the ugly!  Loved his characterisations ... but none of us were fooled by his pretentious knowledge of wine and the ‘taste of blackcurrant and something else’ ... we all now know what that something else was!  Be proud Tony great job!

iv) Last, but certainly not least, we had Helene Griffiths and her portrayal of ‘Miriam Miller’ who added even more to the mix as the revelations kept coming when she arrived on stage in Act 2.  Miriam is another you wouldn’t want to meet in a ‘dark alley’ ... from the outset she created even more mystery and intrigue!  Another great character created, confident, assured which this character needed to be, great stage presence, perfect fit .... again, be proud Helene great job!

Stage/Set/Tech... as always here at SDC... we had a set that looked and felt just right with exit and entry points that allowed the play to flow with ease designed by our Director Adrian Miles- Roberts.  Overseeing all thing ‘back stage’ we had Debbie Moss (Stage Manager) with the SDC Stage Crew.   The set ... the inside of Suzy and Peter’s residence was perfect, with its whitewashed painted walls effect ... table, chairs, couch and a ‘rug’ that was used a lot!  Once again, its congrats to the SDC Construction /Staging Team and Bob Jessamine for his wonderful artistic abilities!  The ‘Lighting Design’ added to each scene ever so much ... congrats to Scott Crawford (Lighting Design) and to Brian Price and Neil Yates the ‘Operators’.  Overseeing the sound, which again was really good and effective, we had Phyllis Spencer.    

Some stage thrillers can’t quite prevent the old eyelids from getting heavy at some point deep during the first act, but this one didn’t!  OK, there were moments were things slowed down, but my attention never wandered.  Act 2 was fascinating with so much going on ... in fact, the suspense didn’t let up until the curtain fell.   Be very proud all involved... good play, and if the applause at the end suggested anything... it was that all present had enjoyed a tasty thriller!  The night I attended the theatre wasn’t anywhere near full, and I’m told that was the same throughout the run... such a shame, all that effort, really does deserve more! 

I wasn’t down to report on this play, but personal circumstances of the original reviewer meant that I had to attend.  Thanks to Chris Ratcliffe for sorting this out for me at the last minute, and no, my nose didn’t bleed ahahahahaha (Chris will understand)!  Hope to see you all again soon!

Stay safe and keep well….
“Stronger Together”

Jim Briscoe
NODA North West
District 6 Rep

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