Amateur Dramatics by Phyl Romeril
Wadham Players – Rehearsal For Murder

This TV play, adapted for the stage, is one of those plays within a play, which is always a complicated business, but keeps its audience on tenterhooks.

Action starts at the present time and hops backwards and forwards with alarming speed, never allowing the concentration to waver.

Wadham Players were extremely well rehearsed in this production with some first class characterisations from all concerned; a large cast worked as a team. There were no passengers and everybody moved immediately into action obviously aware of their value in establishing the complicated plot.

Alex (Mark Simons), the playwright set the ball rolling as he tells us that after a year mourning the apparent suicide of his actress fiancée the night before the wedding, he has returned to the theatre having written another play. Then follows a complicated journey reliving the past, staging the furniture and finally the true reason for his return.

The final twist at the end certainly us all by surprise and was far away from our own verdict. The skilful performances of each member of the cast created the atmosphere of theatrical extremism and was the reason for its success. The costumes all fitted the picture with accuracy, from Bob Gray’s lovely old theatre custodian through to Alison Rhodes’ ill fated actress and Ann Housden’s naïve little secretary.

Equally rewarding were Elaine Elliott’s producer Amanda Cummings, budding actress and the various men who cleverly led us along the wrong path. Director Michael Michael and his team gave this intriguing theatrical thriller a large sprinkling of stardust. A refreshing and well staged exercise.