The Murder Room

REPORT FOR:-
“The Murder Room” by Jack Sharkey
Production given by Sidmouth Amateur Dramtaic Society Ltd
Performance: Manor Pavilion, Sidmouth, East Devon Wednesday 14 th May 2025
Reviewed by: Nick Lawrence, Past President standing in for Regional Representative 6:

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in question. The reviewer may have
received information in advance of the performance and it is inevitable that his assessment will be affected by that knowledge.
The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the
performance viewed. It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used
during the performance observed. Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances, and are only made to
encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre. It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greaterachievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions

What could be better, after a month of beautiful sunny days, than to offer locals and tourists alike an evening full of
laughter and well-meant nonsense? The large Sidmouth audience obviously anticipated such a night and it was not
disappointed. Jack Sharkey’s daft play quickly makes it clear that it is not to be taken seriously, and by the end of the
first scene we have a dead cat (lovingly handmade) and the body of a recently married husband. The play then
speeds along full of misunderstandings, mistaken identities, ridiculous gags and word play, and the usual comings
and goings associated with farce.
Director, Joan Heard, had assembled a hard working experienced team of actors to tackle this script which contains
enough twists and turns to rival any Devonshire country road. The six actors displayed total trust in each other, and
developed some recognisable characters which were easy for the audience to assimilate. They played off each
other very well and had a good feeling for the timing of the comedy. The most complicated of scenes had been well-
rehearsed so that a relentless pace could be achieved. Amateur dramatics suffers from two seemingly unassailable
problems: absences from rehearsals and the desperate need in the final stages for audience reaction. The second
quickly resolves itself once the play opens to the public and the first is a fact of modern life. How they are dealt with
influences the running of the final performances. On opening night there were signs of the difficulties these cause,
but by the end of the evening and in response to the hearty reaction of the first night audience the whole had a
pleasing drive to it.
Farce depends on the constant hurrying in and out of multiple doorways, up and down stairs, and bodies lying all
around the place. An intricate set enabled all of these to happen with ease and also ensured they were all clearly
visible to the audience. It was sturdily built so that the swinging doors didn’t result in any shaking of walls, and
adding to the fun of the many comings and goings. It was slightly confusing that the stairs which led up to the
bedrooms (often referred to by the characters) turned off and immediately went down again without a landing
between. The rest of the set was so carefully created that this did seem more than a little strange. Personally, I
found the addition of cross-beams rather off-putting, as they didn’t seem to have any purpose. They proved
extremely distracting, teasing the eye away from the actors and diverting thinking to trying to work out why the
house needed them. The intricacies of the window seat, its entrance to the cellar, and the complicated contraptions
required to open it were thoughtfully put together with excellent co-ordination between actors and stage crew.
Then the knocking out of the murderer, again with complicated co-ordination between on and off stage persons
worked efficiently and got the required audience response. It is the preparation, rehearsing and performing of such
physical comedy that completes the fun of the evening. Unfortunately, the problem that faces all directors and
actors in British Farces, was not successfully overcome. The whole production was upstaged by the beautiful sofa.
It not only sat centre-stage demanding attention, but for the majority of the time the actors hid behind it. Its size
and quality certainly provided effective defence against attack from the audience. I was reminded of a certain
previous President of NODA who in a Q&A session at NODA’s Theatre Summer School asked for assistance in how to

get out when trapped behind a sofa. Her question caused great mirth amongst the students, but actually raised a
recurring problem in this sort of play. We are all faced with it, and the solution is never easy to find. We all struggle
with this.
The play calls for the lighting & sound operators to remain alert. With more than the usual top and tailing of the
scenes, the action calls for periods of darkness and a variety of blackouts. Along with appropriate sound effects the
experienced technical team were kept busy, but once again, careful planning and timed calls worked their magic.
The nonsense of the constable falling down the cellar and later the secret passageway was nicely timed with the
audience inevitably wondering when he would finally reached the bottom. The support from the Production Team
was excellent throughout with everything appearing to run smoothly. Extra fun was added with the use of familiar
theme tunes from well-loved TV detective series being used for the interludes between scenes. It was lovely to hear
the giggles of the audience as the melodies were recognised.
With the warm welcome from the Front of House staff, an informative programme and reliable support from the
technical team, it was down to the actors to complete the entertainment. The combination of experience and team-
work aided the audience to map its way through the minefield of a script. With constant pauses in the action for
word play the audience had to remain alert to follow every twist. The cast were on top form for the most part and
maintained a sprightly pace which gave the piece a bright and jolly air. In fact, murder had never been so
entertaining. The crucial opening scene was well played. Despite the script’s demands for little movement and low
lighting, the actors held the audience and built to the first climax competently. Once daytime scenes came along,
movement was natural and the clues dropped significantly into our conscientiousness. The nice relationships
between the characters revealed and disguised what was really going on very well, leading to an audible knowing
gasp when Mavis’s phonecall revealed the existence of a lover. The murderer is described as being hard-hearted
and calculating. The choice was made for this not to make things too dark, which worked well in the overall
intention to be truthful to the author’s intentions for this crime spoof. There was plenty of Christie, Durbridge and
well-known thrillers referenced in the script and the action. The double character of the father and the constable
worked very well in reliable hands. Meanwhile the inspector was imposing but obviously not quite what he seemed.
The second couple were delightful in their excitement at their approaching marriage and the completely irrelevant
intervention of the local vicar. All was held together by the delightful northern sounding housekeeper who only
lacked a couple of plates of sardines.
The audience thoroughly enjoyed this presentation and I feel sure that the reaction would be greater later in the run
as the play smoothed out and cantered to the finishing line. As expected this director was detailed and well
prepared and it was great to observe the obvious team-work between all involved. A very fine example of what
societies can achieve when every contribution is valued. I understand that a large collection of members turned up
to move the production into the theatre, and fun was hard by all. Congratulations.

Nick Lawrence
NODA Past President.

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