Film & Theatre, Reviews | Posted on October 24th, 2024 | return to news
Murder in Play
Ferndown Drama, Barrington Theatre, Ferndown
By Marilyn Barber | newseditor@dorsetview.co.uk
The expressions on the faces of the audience and their comments as they left the theatre on the first night said it all. This is a production with plenty of laughs performed by an excellent cast.
The comedy by Simon Brett takes place during a play rehearsal in which a real murder takes place.
All eight actors deserve accolades.
Peter Watson always gets under the skin of his characters, and he is perfect as the director of Russian descent who is frustrated with the inadequacies of his cast.
Dawn Hollington – who admits that she has been with the company for 40 years – is one of our best local character actors and she holds the stage as the disgruntled Sophie.
At the centre of the action is Renee, who is more interested in her status that in the play, a role performed with panache by Karen Ward.
The part of Harrison demands an actor with a big personality – so casting Mark Ward in the role was just perfect. The last time I saw him on stage was as Onslow in this company’s production of ‘Keeping up Appearances’, and he nailed it then. This is a man of many talents.
Inhabiting two stage roles – a maid and then a woman with a huge ego – Jenny Sibley displays her versatility whilst relative newcomer Kate Walker as Ginette shows she is an actress to be watched in the future.
Gordon McCabe produces lots of laughs as Tim, particularly when he is instructed to play one scene with a higher voice, and Alison Page puts in a well-rounded performance as the stage manager/reluctant actor Pat.
Estelle Hughes said this was a challenging play to direct, but she can rest easy as she has a success on her hands.
Want a good night out? Get a ticket if you can. It runs until the end of the week.
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