MURDERED TO DEATH

Weymouth Pavilion

GET set for an evening of laughter and comic clowning in the company of Weymouth Drama Club with their latest offering, a send up of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery plays.

A cast of 10 get straight to the point as bodies soon start to tumble and the usual suspects pretend they know nothing.

Top of the bill is the well-named policeman Inspector Pratt who makes Clouseau look like an intellectual giant as he stumbles around getting everything wrong in a superb performance by John Cropper whose comedy timing and physical antics keep the audience in stitches throughout the evening, a brilliant portrayal.

Chris Walker is also in good form as the batty butler and Andy Neve is the inspector’s sidekick who tries to insert a bit of sanity into the proceedings while Rob Tripp is the posh colonel with a secret or two of his own, along with Paul Gorsuch as a phoney Frenchman, all of the men giving lively performances that keep the action going in excellent satirical style.

On the more serious side of things, Caroline Lewis does a good job as Joan Maple, who replicates Miss Marple as the woman who goes to every murderous party and soon solves the mystery while Rachel Turberville-Smith and Deborah Walton stir things up with a sub-plot of motive and money along with Sadie Fisher as the femme fatale and Daphne Payne as the home owner with a back story.

Directors Pete Hutton and Jacqui make an excellent job of keeping up the pace and verbal fun in a production that never misses a beat in this play by Peter Gordon which continues until Friday. Be there, you won’t regret it.