THE
FARNDALE MURDER MYSTERY
Directed by Brainne Edge
CAST
Mrs Reece : Renee Clitheroe
Felicity : Sue Hilton
Thelma : Karen Thompson
Audrey : Kathleen Ashworth
Gordon : John Griffin
Mrs Beasley : Debbie Leyland
This hilarious farce follows the antics of the four
redoubtable ladies of The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen's Guild as they attempt to present 'Murder at
Checkmate Manor'. This ambiguous and cunning Agatha
Christie-style 1930's drawing room murder mystery requires
them to play all 14 roles (aided by their stage manager,
Gordon) with hysterical results.
As well as performing the play, the ladies also present a
Film and Fashion Show and a Murder Mystery Quiz complete
with prize! If it can go wrong it probably will..... but
surely it will be all right on the night?
NODA
Review by Colin Magenty
This cross between Coarse Acting and something Michael
Frayne could have written does not better either. After the
first part, it is more of the same, and has to be done for
real to be funny otherwise it comes across as someone
trying to be funny and does not work as it should. Having
said that this production did have some nice moments and
some enjoyable performances.
John Griffin played the lone male in a cast of eleven
female caricatures even if these were played by a mere four
ladies. Renee Clitheroe gave us a lovely link lady in the
way of Mrs Reece and a striking French maid among others.
The antics of Sue Hilton as the Butler and Kathleen
Ashworth as her several ladies brought guffaws of laughter
to an audience hit by the things going on in Germany.
The ever youthful Karen Thompson was spot on as Daphne. and
her duo with Kathleen Ashworth as Joan and Rose was
hilarious. There is nothing harder to do than comedy and
this was a difficult play to do and deserved a bigger
audience.
