Murdered To Death

Written by: Peter Gordon

Directed by: John Riley

May 2008

This hilarious spoof of the best of Agatha Christie traditions is set in a country manor house in the 1930's, with an assembled cast of characters guaranteed to delight. The play introduces the inept and bungling Inspector Pratt, who battles against the odds to solve the murder of the house's owner. It soon becomes clear that the murderer isn't finished yet, but will the miscreant be unmasked before everyone else has met their doom, or will the audience die laughing first?

Cast List

Character

Actor

Mildred

Glenys Young

Dorothy

Linda Cearns

Bunting

Simon Haskell

Colonel Charles Craddock

Barry Kirk

Margaret

Irene Davis

Elizabeth Hartley-Trumpington

Laura Simkins

Pierre Marceau

Martin Herford

Joan Maple

Barbara Harrold

Constable Thompkins

Phil Davis

Inspector Pratt

Ian Lodge

Reviews

Having watched Death by Fatal Murder, also by Peter Gordon, just two days before this I was looking forward to another outing of "Defective" Inspector Pratt and wasn't disappointed. Mildred and Dorothy were an excellent pairing in Scene One, with Mildred's characterization conjuring up just the right atmosphere. This was made even more credible by the astonishingly good set. A large drawing room, complete with double doors, fireplace and window was convincingly furnished and decorated. Mildred's interaction with the butler, Bunting, was completely straight, making Bunting's obtuse behaviour all the more amusing. Craddock was entirely convincing as the bluff, down-to-earth, retired Colonel and managed to bring great warmth to the character that elicited great sympathy. This was especially so when being hen-pecked by his wife, Margaret, whose brusque no-nonsense manner was all too believable. Miss Maple was charmingly and comfortably played while Elizabeth and Pierre made a dramatic contrast, with edgy performances that foreshadowed their duplicitous roles. Constable Thompkins was well cast; he was deferential to Inspector Pratt and represented an excellent stooge, never trying to upstage his partner in comedy. Pratt was larger than life, accident-prone but without signalling his intentions, thus making the accidents that befell him or those around him surprising, with hilarious results. This was a great evening's entertainment. Congratulations to all involved.

Stewart Adkins, NODA