The Great British Bump Off

Sion Pantomime Society kindly invited me to review their performance of the murder mystery play, ‘The Great British Bump Off,’ by Lesley Gunn. I must admit, I do like a good murder mystery, although I never guess anywhere near the correct answer. There is something that appeals to me about the whole ‘who done it?’  It is fun and interactive; the audience enjoyed every minute as they ate their pie and pea supper. I particularly liked the actors mingling with the audience before the performance, exchanging pleasantries in character.

Crabblebottom is hosting its annual village baking competition and tensions are rife as the competition entrants argue with the fete committee and each other. Accusations and threats are thrown around and lies exposed resulting in murder. Director, Marcia Turner, and her fellow cast members played to a full house; the audience sat around tables, in teams, facing the stage. The set, designed and constructed by Rob Bennett, looked great. The main stage began as the fete committee meeting hall. A backdrop curtain with a window looking out onto fields to the rear of the stage. A long table with chairs set around, took centre stage, sitting to one side was a notice board proudly advertising the competition and other Crabblebottom village news. When the baking competition arrived, the stage became the baking tent. A table for each baker filled with baking gadgets and ingredients. The apron stage left was preset as the Major’s small accommodation, peeling wallpaper, a fully stocked drinks trolly and a desk with seating. An entrance for the celebrity guest judge led up from the stage right apron. Marcia had rehearsed her cast and crew well. Scene changes were swift, sound and lighting by Ian Turner ran smoothly with no gremlins. Once onstage, Marcia gave an entertaining performance as Patricia McLaren. Breezing across the stage treating everyone with contempt, Marcia was snide and patronising. Her character was comical in its vindictive nature, she certainly didn’t pull her punches. Marcia was confident and clear, and she looked fabulous in her colourful outfits. Major Gordon Watt with his humongous moustache, was played by Kevin Moore. Kevin was delightfully funny, delivering his lines with gusto and a ‘can do’ attitude. His comic timing was wonderful, his dialogue snappy, his facial expressions hilarious. The audience laughed aloud whenever Kevin came on. Amy Tattersall gave a notable performance as celebrity chef, Eduardo D’Angelo. Sporting a short black wig, designer stubble and jolly funny Italian accent, Amy had the audience laughing aloud. Her delivery was great, her comic timing was excellent. Playing husband and wife team Hilary and Phillip Stanton were Marina Murray and James Hargreaves, respectively. Accused of buying her cakes from M&S, Marina was great as the competitive Hilary, devoted to baking, argumentative and proud. James Hargreaves was strong as Phillip Stanton. Fiercely loyal husband, devoted to his wife, James gave an impassioned performance. The role of celebrity stalker, Caroline Fountain, was played by Fiona Monk. Fiona was funny as the obsessed fan, her cake of love hearts caused ripples of laughter throughout the audience. A fun role, acted with integrity. Suspected poisoner Sarah Mead was played by Bev King. Bev was another comedy character; her new age culinary conglomerations place her as a prime suspect. Bev was hilarious as the hippy dippy character. Laura Wilkinson and Sarah Nutter hosted the production, confidently introducing the audience to the show. They then proceeded to act the roles of team bakers Maisie and Sarah. Both actors gave steady performances, their jealousy and camaraderie evident in their dialogue. Alistair King played Detective Sam Nelson; the person responsible for finding the murderer. Alistair had copious amounts of dialogue to convey akin to a narrator. These were delivered with a good pace, not overwhelming the audience with too much information too quickly. Delivering the lines with confidence and clarity, Alistair had good stage presence.

Sion Pantomime Society presented a wonderful evening, my plus one and I would like to thank everyone for the invitation. Special thanks go to Frank Gallagher for the excellent quiz that ran throughout the evening, and to the refreshment team for the tasty pie and pea supper as well as the cakes. This was a society effort; I can only apologise that I cannot name everyone involved individually, your participation is always noticed and appreciated. I look forward to many more shows in the future.

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