Preview in Bucks Free Press

Review in Bucks Free Press

Murder in Play - Review

4:56pm Monday 6th April 2009
CRUMBS, they have talent in Marlow and it's not just its chefs and rowers, writes Ann Jarvis.

The Marlow Players’ performance of Murder In Play showed just how high a standard of entertainment its amateur dramatics group achieves.

This comedy thriller by Simon Brett revolves around a play within a play.

A group of actors are rehearsing a murder mystery, and the tensions and interactions between them make for a cunningly devised dilemma when it comes to detecting who killed the leading lady.

She drops dead ‘for real’ in the middle of rehearsals just when one of the characters drops dead with a ‘pretend’ knife in his back.

Brian Couling was simply wonderful playing the part of the show-within-a show director, Boris. Larger than life and full of energy, he handled the bossy bits perfectly as well as the hints at a less than salubrious side to his life.

Indeed, all eight actors played their parts well, especially Diana Hudson as Pat the stage manager, whose pragmatic and dull personality highlighted the theatricality of the cast.

It’s said that pretending to act badly is more difficult than acting properly and they managed to pull this off well, portraying two characters each – their supposedly real selves, and the parts they were rehearsing.

It’s a complex mix to get right but director Tony Bew kept them on course throughout to produce an entertaining play which kept everyone guessing and engaged till the final denouement.