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Who Killed Santa Claus?
Malvern Theatres
**** Written by a well known TV show
scriptwriter, this better than average murder mystery has a pool full of
red herrings and the most ingenious ending I have seen for a long time. The clever plot seems pretty formulaic up to the interval but the second act takes the audience down a road of many twists and turns. It's penned by the expert hand of Terence Feely,
who created the 1980’s ITV crime drama series The Gentle Touch and also
contributed to episodes of the first series of The Avengers, The Saint
and even Thunderbirds. Feely has set this festive thriller in the 1970s,
so the costumes are a delight of bawdy orange and flares for this slick
production from talking Scarlet. The clothes aren't the only comedy as the script
is made up of lively sparkling conversation and quips between the cliche
of characters. Set in the home of famous children's TV show pr There's a chilling voice on her answering
machine, but this was unfortunately a little garbled and hard to
understand and could do with being made more audible. As the line-up of suspects gather, it seems that
each of Barbara's colleagues from her television show has an axe to
grind. Among them are recognisable former soap opera
actors like Kim Tiddy and David Callister, both from The Bill, and Freya
Copeland and Gary Turner, who starred in Emmerdale. Callister as Supt Moore and Copeland as Barbara
Love are particularly strong in the most prominent roles, while Michael
Cross is a vibrant presence on stage as camp Ray Lacey - very much in
the mould of John Inman from Are You Being Served. This play is a gentle, very watchable crime caper
but it will also keep you guessing right up to near the end, and even
when you do know who the killer is, there's more surprises to come. The show's real beauty, however, is the very
memorable and unique finale. Worth catching it if you are a murder
mystery fan. To 03-12-16 Alison Brinkworth 29-11-16
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esenter
Barbara Love, we join the star as she is preparing for her staff
Christmas party but has received a macabre death threat.