Tiptoe Through the Tombstones

Set in the ancestral home of the ‘Tombs’ this show is a sparkling comedy thriller and the second in the trilogy of spoof comedies written by Norman Robbins.

The ‘Tombs’, summoned by their lawyer (Crayle) and his Secretary (Zoe) are being gathered at Monument House to learn of their inheritance.

As the fog descends on the gloomy mansion both host and guests alike join the increasing number of bodies in the cellar. There was poison in every decanter, secret passageways, mysterious disappearances, a blood stained axe and an abundance of cobwebs just to bring this gothic comic-horror to life! There were plenty of cliff hangers and overall much laughter and enjoyment by the audience.

Andrew Reed gave a great performance as Mortimer Crayle the crusty lawyer, who sets out to eliminate the Tombs en masse by poisoning them by swapping out the decanters, along with his efficient secretary Zoe Mapleton played by Lisa Kane.

Rob Fisher brought the character of Vernon Prewitt to life with just enough ostentatious and theatrical mannerisms to express his playful irreverence of being a cleaner whilst resting as an actor. Dressed as a vision in pink, armed with a feather duster and polish he was ready to breath life into the cobwebbed mansion, which was lined with completely bare bookshelves that are never explained. I did think his character was a little stereotypically and over the top but with the plot twist at the end all was explained.

Vernon’s sidekick is Edna Honeywill, the maid played by Lily Mason, who in her first role with the Society was extremely good, with clear diction and great stage presence.

The family was made up of Henrietta Tomb (Cath Fisher) dressed in her plaid skirt and cable knit sweater; Augustus Tomb (played by Neal Newbrook) complete with plus fours, Kathy McEntagart, another newcomer to the group, stern and upright in her black evening wear as the psychic Octavia Tomb all complete with her lethal hairpins; Jane Parkyn as Athene Tomb who was just wonderful in the delivery of her chilling enjoyment of death and was certainly the queen of the one-liners raising many a laugh with the audience with her bluntness and who could forget Fabia Tomb played by Rachel Aitchinson whose characterisation and accent was perfect for the part.

The arrival of children’s entertainer (Larry Lewis aka Coughdrop the Clown was played by Alex Edwards) who appeared fully dressed as a clown and later undressed in just a towel with great comic timing and great facial expressions.

Set and properties were excellent as always, especially with the rather imposing and intimidating family portrait. The dimming of the main lights on stage or the use of a few lamps may have assisted in creating a more gothic feel to the production if this had been possible and it would be good to explore this as an option for this type of future production going forward.

From the moment I arrived and was greeted by those willing volunteers front of house, to the complimentary cup of tea at the interval served with a smile, this was a great night out and I look forward to seeing the third in the trilogy of stories about the ‘Tomb family’ in November 2023.

Well done to Richard Astle in directing his first show with HADS.

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