The Murder Room

This play was billed as a mystery farce and a farce it certainly was. The appearance of Edgar Hollister,(Kanyin Jalaosho), in an obvious wig and moustache, together with the over-the-top accents and stylised acting set the scene and informed the audience what sort of evening we were about to enjoy. The opening dialogue, between Edgar and Mavis, confidently played by Katt Thorn, was quick-fire and delivered in a witty and intelligent manner, entirely appropriate to the period and the genre.

The plot continued with the introduction of new characters. It is to the credit of all the actors that for the most part they played their parts with total belief, despite the absurdities of the plot and the style of acting required of them. Occasionally I felt that actors were playing for laughs, rather than playing straight, and there were a few occasions when actors' faces rather gave away the fact that they knew what they had just said was absurd whereas, in fact, to the characters the situation has to remain very real and serious.

This play requires the set to have some moving parts. These had been constructed well and all worked on cue. My only reservations were that the picture did not look weighty enough to knock out Mavis.

Lighting was appropriate, with a clear distinction between day and evening. The sound effects were not entirely convincing, with the same effect used for both the cat and a person falling down the stairs, and the dropped tea service sounding more like glass. Also, these sounds, at times, seemed to come from the opposite side of the stage to where the action was happening. However, this may have been done on purpose in order to make the plot even more ludicrous. The sound effects were, however, well cued. 

Costumes were good, but the Constable's uniform looked a little modern. 

Hair and make-up seemed appropriate.

There were some really nice moments, including Lottie (Debbie Stoten) and Barry's (Josh Clarke) embarrassment after their spontaneous hug and the nicely synchronised hands in the air when confronted by the gun in the final scene. 

Debbie Stoten gave a comical performance as the housekeeper and Trevor Burton as James Crandall was perfectly cast as the detective who was later revealed to be the mystery lover.

The final madcap scene with 'Get the gun, get the lights' sequence was timed well with some interesting and humorous tableaux when the lights were switched on. Edgar's eventual murder in the final scene was nicely done executed (forgive the pun)  and brought the play to a satisfying and crowd-pleasing end.

The set was, as ever, very good although some of the furniture didn't seem to fit with the interior of an old cottage. The secret 'murder room' was well hidden and very believable.

A very amusing production with lots of twists and turns that kept us guessing to the end.

Thank you once again for your hospitality.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.