Suddenly at Home

Francis Durbridge was renowned for his intriguing murder mysteries which delighted and puzzled audiences for many years on radio, TV and stage. 'Suddenly at Home' is easily identifiable as a typical Durbridge play beginning as it does in a conventional home belonging to Maggie and Glen Howard who appear to have a conventional existence and comfortable lifestyle. This situation soon and inevitably descends into murder and mayhem - not so much a whodunnit but more a 'will they get away with it?'.  And there were many thought-provoking  developments right up to the final denoument.

Ray Haresign dealt very competently with the pivotal role of Glenn Howard and was well supported by the rest of the cast; Fran Hollyoake as Maggie, Alice Adams as her sister Helen, Sarah Dawe as the angst-ridden actress Sheila, Jacky Silvester as the au pair Ruth and a flamoboyantly kitted-out Keith Fraser as author Sam. The smaller roles of Remick and Appleton were taken by Jim Howson and Dave Toman respectively - minor parts but in the overall plot very important.

The play seemed to take a little while to get going but I put this down to the need to well and truly 'set the scene'.

Good care had been taken by director Stuart Dawe to ensure the settings, props and costumes were right for the period in which this play was set. Lighting was good  and the back stage team worked well together to keep the whole piece moving - an essential aspect in a play such as this one where I feel that action needs impetus as the plot deepens!

Overall this was a very satisfactory production which kept the audience involved and entertained throughout. And probably most important in this genre of play, kept the brain cells ticking over.

Well done to all involved. You had obviously worked very hard as a team to deliver an interesting afternoon's entertainment. It was a most enjoyable performance - I look forward to your next production in the autumn.

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