THE FARNDALE AVENUE HOUSING ESTATE TOWNSWOMAN'S GUILD DRAMATIC SOCIETY’S MURDER MYSTERY

 A famous quote is “Laughter is the best medicine.” If you look up all the famous quotes about laughter, they all say how good, healthy and uplifting it is for your well-being. Well, this play had enough comedy in it to keep the population of Southwick away from the doctors for many years. It was the funniest production that I have seen as a N.O.D.A. representative.

The evening was an experience like that of a Whitehall farce mixed with “The Play That Goes Wrong”, audience participation - as per a community song - and lots more than a funny and hilarious script, plenty of visual humour, absurdity, even bonkers happenings. The complicated script was dealt with perfectly by the five actors who were in and out of the stage entrances and exits like a fiddler’s elbow all evening.

The first of the accolades in making such a brilliant production must, of course be the actors. Suse Crosby,  Helen Rogers,  Alison Kemish, Emily Dennett & Lyn Snowdon all impeccably playing respectively, initially the following characters - Phoebe Reece, Thelma Greenwood, Felicity Smythe, Audrey Forbes Farquhar and Sylvia Frobisher. These five characters were ladies of the Townswomen's Guild who were putting on a murder mystery and playing one main part and also many relatives of a rapidly disappearing large family as the plot unfolds. This extremely complicated exercise involved wigs, moustaches, hats and much changing of costumes. The alacrity with which some of these changes required was achieved with nothing but sheer unbelief.  Doors and windows that would not open, items of scenery that fell apart and missing props were all problems that occurred during the action and were hilariously dealt with by the appropriate member of the cast. A corpse or two on the floor was another example of visual humour as they assisted their own exits. Whilst mentioning corpses, I will mention the “corpsing”. As things went wrong and actors would normally have had to surreptitiously cover the error, in these cases, uncontrollable giggling and smiles were the order of the day.  

All productions need an efficient backstage and technical crew. This was most certainly the case for this murder mystery. The set was completed by nine company members and the built-in comedy with problem windows, doors, chairs and fixtures and fittings added greatly to the audience’s appreciation of the visual humour. The set designers and sound and lighting crew (five persons involved here) also did a fantastic job of the visual merriment as lights, telephone rings and car sound effects went awry throughout. The time-critical cues for the simultaneous sounds/lighting and actions to match were perfect. The costume providers also had their work cut out with the many disguises required.

Another very clever and amusing part of the writer’s imagination and enacted by the cast was the quiz. Everyone had to answer three questions about act one during the interval - a prize was offered. Unfortunately, the winner was no longer in the audience to collect the prize. Quelle surprise!

To put on a production of this quality, apart from the actors, backstage and technical crew, all of whom know their onions, it needs an excellent brain to knit all those sections together seamlessly. The director in this play was Tony Brownings. Congratulations to him for a most entertaining, enjoyable and extremely funny production.

Thank you all for an amazing piece of theatrical excellence.

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