|
|
Rehearsal for Murder
Coventry Belgrade
**** I like a murder
– am particularly fond of
Nordic Noir –
Wallander and such – but, in
Rehearsal for Murder,
it’s from the pens of William Link and Richard Levinson, the partnership
that brought us
Columbo and
Murder, She Wrote. The New York Times,
no less, dubbed them the ‘Mr Rolls and Mr Royce of murder mystery
writers’. There’s a neat quote from the play, spoken by
main character Alex Dennison (Robert Daws) that ‘the mystery writer
takes the audience by the hand and leads them in the wrong direction’. Alex Dennison is a successful comedy playwright
who, after a year in the south of France, sets the scene on an
empty(ish) and rather down-at-heel West End theatre stage circa 1989 as
he explains to his new assistant Sally Bean (Holly Ellis) the mysterious
murder of his fiancée Monica Welles (Amy Robbins) one year ago to the
day. Monica was his leading lady on opening night with
their secret wedding planned the next day. Monica features as a ghost in
the shadows and as a character with his scenes, playing out the
background to her own murder. His characters begin as memories, then
made flesh in a complex plot intended to flush out the murderer. The police have assumed a suicide. Alex is
convinced otherwise. He has written a series of scenes for, and invited
to read, Producer Bella Lamb (Susan Penhaligon), Director Lloyd Andrews
(Steven Pinder), understudy Karen Daniels (Lucy Dixon) and her partner
and fellow actor Leo Gibbs (Ben Nealon) watched by Detective Inspector
McElroy. Except McElroy is really a resting actor and part-time London
cabbie Frank Hillier (Gwynfor Jones). Each scene provides detail of the potential
motives for murder of each of the characters, with the final assessment
leaving us in no doubt that Karen and her partner Leo have no alibi and
plenty of motive. A final twist, however, is unexpected and amazing and,
no, there’s no way I’d let the cat out. I really enjoyed the play, the scene setting was
totally believable, the story really did take me ‘by the hand’, use of
lighting and gentle jazz background music adept and enjoyable. Directed
by Roy Marsden it runs to 14-05-16 Jane Howard 09-05-16
|
|
|