Murdered to Death
Venue : Kingsley College Theatre
Date : June 2011
Genre : Murder Mystery
Director
Peter Round
Director
Jason Trombley
Assistant Director
Cast
Joy Rodgers
Mildred
Elizabeth Round
Dorothy
Ted Rodgers
Bunting (the Butler)
Peter Round
Bunting (understudy)
Mike Beamish
Colonel Charles Craddock
Sue George
Margaret Craddock (wife)
Adam Lee
Pierre Marceau, French art dealer
Alison Trombley
Elizabeth Hartley-Trumpingthon
Estelle Shutkever
Joan Maple
Ed Parrott
Inspector Pratt
Simon Brown
Constable Thompkins
Crew
Crew
Production Gallery
Production Reviews
Murdered to Death – Review
I have come to expect a very high standard from the Wythall Theatre Company and I was not let down in their recent spoof Agatha Christie play ‘Murdered to Death’.
The immaculate set was an excellent back drop for this 1930’s murder mystery with Joy Rodgers as Mildred, delivering a delightful performance as the host of a weekend party at her county pile, assisted by her niece Dorothy and hindered by her bumbling and sometime drunken butler Bunting, played by Peter Round whose exceptional comic timing made Bunting a joy to watch.
Having discovered that her Aunt Mildred has been duped into buying some dubious artwork by French art dealer Pierre Marceau, played with characteristic enthusiasm by Adam Lee, Dorothy, performed persuasively by Elizabeth Round, sets about a spot of blackmail to teach Pierre a lesson, but things are, of course, not what they seem. The other house guests, Colonel Charles and Margaret Craddock, played larger than life by Mike Beamish and Sue Lister, and Alison Bond’s wonderfully pompous Elizabeth Hartley-Trumpington all have agendas of their own.
When local sleuth Miss Maple arrives, played with exceptional aplomb by Estelle Shutkever, you know someone is going to get murdered, and it doesn’t take very long.
Dressed in classic shabby mac, Ed Parrott gave an impressive performance of the inept Inspector Pratt who, arriving on the scene with his assistant, Constable Thompkins, makes wildly inaccurate assumptions and whilst re-enacting the murder only succeeds in shooting poor Thompkins in the foot. Simon Brown, playing the long suffering Thompkins with great solemnity, gives the impression of being the only one who has any real grasp on what is going on.
This fast moving comedy contains every clichés possible. Several shootings later and everyone has a motive, did the butler do it?
Director Peter Round should be very proud of this show, the audience laughed throughout and the performers were all, without exception, well rehearsed, well cast and well…. mostly guilty!
Roger Green, WTC Website