Archives - November 1994
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Archives - November 1994 |
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Produced by Ann Burfoot, assisted by Cheree Hill
THE PLAY
Comedy, set in a country house in the 1930s. Assorted guests of Mildred, the house owner, and her niece Dorothy gather. Amongst them are Colonel Craddock - Mildred's secret lover - and his wife Margaret, the irritating Joan Maple, local private sleuth, and dubious art dealer Pierre Marceau with his glamorous associate Elizabeth Hartley-Trumpington. Dorothy quickly cottons on to the fake paintings sold to Mildred by Pierre and blackmails him for a large refund. Shortly afterwards, Mildred is shot dead and unfortunately for everyone, the inept Inspector Pratt and his long-suffering junior, Constable Thompkins, are sent to investigate.
Under Pratt's watchful gaze, Dorothy, too, is murdered. Still clueless as to why, Pratt re-enacts the crime but only succeeds in shooting Thompkins in the foot. It is left to Miss Maple to eventually unmask the true killers: Margaret Craddock and her lover Bunting, the butler. The deaths of Mildred and Dorothy mean the Colonel inherits the estate - and soon thereafter, it would have been Margaret's! Bunting makes a run for it, the valiant Thompkins in pursuit. He might even have apprehended the villain had Pratt not managed to shoot him in the other foot...
FROM THE GROUP
I co-produced and acted in this play. Not something I'd want to do too often,
but needs must when problems arise for one of the original cast members.
I can't recall any problems during rehearsals, apart from sourcing a wooden
elephant.
Mary Bailey fitted the role of Miss Maple so well it could have been written for
her.
A fun play to do. I think the cast enjoyed themselves even if I didn't. At least
I got away with it, in more ways than one!
Ann - Producer
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PREVIEWS & REVIEWS
Preview from the Worthing Herald, 4th November 1994
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