Murder in Play – Rainhill Garrick Society

If it’s farce you want it’s farce you’ll get and with Rainhill Garrick firmly established as the go to place, director Rick Young reinforces this reputation with his enjoyable romp of a production of Simon Brett’s wonderfully awful Murder In Play.

Boris Smolensky’s (George Lowe) budget repertory production of ‘Murder at Priorswell Manor’ is looking decidedly shaky with the cast more interested in their egos than the play as his wife Renee (Jo Webster) spars with long-time rival Christa (Rosetta Parker) as well as her husband’s latest interest, Ginette (Alison Mawdsley) who herself remains admired from afar by Tim (Tom Nevitt). With Sophie (Sophie Brogan) waiting for her break and thespian Harrison (Michael Brennan) seeking out Dutch courage to stop himself from breaking, stage manager Pat (Angela Vose) keeps everything ticking. But when life imitates art and one of the cast is murdered on stage, fact becomes stranger than fiction as numerous red herrings keep us guessing right up until the end.

I always think one of the biggest challenges for a theatre company is to play actors playing roles badly as it demands great skill to do it wrong so seamlessly. Having previously shown himself as a master of this art, Young’s turn at directing facilitates this cast stepping up to his established mark, which is great to see, as well as his promotion of newer company members to front and centre roles.

With the cast predominantly all playing both their real characters and their play characters, the changes were well managed with good timing and diction ensuring strong performances all round.

Webster and Parker bring all their experience and expertise to the fore with performances that had me hoping they weren’t like this off-stage – they’re not, I know – whilst Lowe’s strong comic Russian accent was maintained throughout his frenetic performance as he sought out a star in Mawdsley’s delightfully ditzy Ginette whose faultless line delivery leading into the interval was so wonderfully wrong.

Nevitt and Brogan seized their moment and held their own with Nevitt’s falsetto particularly stand out and superbly performed whilst Brogan really owned the stage in the second half. Vose has perhaps the most challenging of roles and very much like her character, kept it all together, whilst Brennan cemented his reputation as a natural with great timing and comic flair.

There’s strong support off-stage with Richard Parker’s set design serving the one scene location with Graham Swift’s stage management demonstrating good attention to detail. He also oversees the lighting with Tracey Duffy on sound and props coordinated by Lucy Whitfield. There was an array of talented members front of house which serves to demonstrate the depth of the company and allied with the strong on-stage performances tonight bodes well for a deservedly bright future.

Murder In Play performs for two more nights at Rainhill Village Hall on 19^th and 20^th May at 7.30pm with tickets priced at £8 and available from Rainhill Village Hall, Rainhill Post Office or by calling 01744 606067. Alternatively, tickets can be booked online via https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/rainhill-garrick-society

Rainhill Garrick Society will be taking a much deserved break during the Summer before returning in the Autumn with one of my favourite Ealing comedies, The Titfield Thunderbolt, performing at Rainhill Village Hall 12^th – 14^th October 2023. Further details https://www.rainhillgarrick.co.uk/

Reviewer: Mark Davoren

Reviewed: 18^th May 2023

North West End UK Rating: