The Game’s Afoot

This comedy-thriller was written by Ken Ludwig, who was responsible for the book of the re-vamp of Gershwin’s Girl Crazy, as Crazy for You, back in 1992.  This time there is no music to interrupt the action.  Set in December 1936 the play features, as a character, the real-life Broadway star William Gillette, internationally acclaimed for his leading role in the play Sherlock Holmes.  He invites a group of guests, involved in the play, to his Connecticut castle to celebrate Christmas.
 
The play is well and amusingly cast.  David Moy as 'Gillette', is a somewhat vainglorious leading man who assumes the powers of his character, 'Holmes', to solve a mystery that develops within his own grand and rather weird home.  His mother, 'Martha', is played amusingly by Christine Coaster, who seems to have come into wealth courtesy of her successful son.  She is elderly, vague and dithery.  Joe Costigan plays a rather arch actor, 'Felix Geisel', and has some of the best one-liners which he delivers well.  His wife, 'Madge' is played by Fiona Barras.  She’s also an actress and, on occasion, can have an amusingly sharp tongue although her heart seems to be in the right place.  James Elliott makes a witty 'Simon Bright', full of humour and jokey comments.  'Aggie Wheeler' (Alex Hepple) is an attractive young actress, who finds herself swept away by the shenanigans taking place around her.  Ann Leake plays Police Inspector 'Goring', inadvertently called to the castle to investigate a crime the family and guests are trying to hide from her.  Understandably, perplexed but doggedly determined, she is quite astute at spotting a fib but seems a little star struck, finding herself at the heart of this group of thespians. Apart from the Radio Announcer (Richard Jack) we have just one more character, 'Daria Chase' (Ali Broughton), a waspish theatre critic who is inquisitive, also being well aware that the actors in the room hate her but also knowing they would like to keep on the right side of her.  Throw them all together, mix them up a little bit, add a little misunderstanding and innuendo and you have a recipe for an amusing show.

Ah, the mystery Gillette must solve?  One of his guests is fatally stabbed and the festivities, in this isolated venue full of smoke and mirrors, take a dark turn whilst remaining amusing throughout.  Gillette, having assumed the persona of Holmes, must expose the killer before his remaining guests suffer a similar fate.  Danger, confusion and amusement ensue.

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