THERE is classic Agatha Christie murder mystery on offer at Droitwich’s Norbury Theatre with ‘Go Back for Murder’.
The story centres on Carla Crale who, as she comes of age, finds out her mother Caroline supposedly murdered her father Amyas Crale.
To add more intrigue to the plot, her mum, now dead herself, has left her a letter claiming she was wrongfully arrested and convicted.
This inspires Carla to go back to quiz everyone who was at the home at the time to cross-reference their version of events of that fateful 24 hours.
Using the information she has, she then returns to the scene, with the others, and reconstructs – Crimewatch style – the two days leading up to her dad’s untimely death.
This ten-strong cast performed this quintessentially English middle class play well, along with the interactions between the array of characters.
The cast
James Dean and Hugh Raymer were solid as Carla’s Canadian husband to be Jeff and solicitor’s assistant Turnbulll.
Mary Field made the role of Governess Miss Williams her own, portraying the prim and proper person perfectly.
Sophie Davey-Over was great as the posh, somewhat arrogant and ‘always gets what she wants’ manipulative Lady Melksham as she strutted about the stage like she owned the place.
And Adrian Over and Colin Potter were brilliant as the contrasting brothers Meredith and Philip Blake. The former was very enthusastic and the latter more straight-laced. Their characters complemented each other wonderfully and their chemistry on stage matched their relationship.
The pick of the performances on the night went to those who showed the most versatility.
Miles Nicholls was well-suited to the honest and trustworthy solicitor Justin Fogg who, in the first act helps the main character come to terms with what she has learnt and helps her facilitate her plan. In the second, he takes up a more narrator role, breaking the fourth wall and keeping the crowd abreast with what is going on.
Gemma Matthews was an absolute joy to watch as Angela Warren. In the first act, as the character in her older years, she was quirky and had you wanting to find out more about her. And, in her portrayal of Angela as a youngster, the amount of energy she brought to the show was incredible,
And Emily Collins was fantastic in her dual mum/daughter role as Carla in act one and and Caroline in act two. She is rarely off-stage and, with the way she captured the plight and trauma her characters suffered, you could not help but feel both empathy in the first half and sympathy in the second.
At two-and-a-half hours, this is a long play and, to be honest, is a tad slow at the start while all the scene-setting is done, although this is necessary to pave the way for the faster-paced second act when the fateful events unfold.
This is a traditional murder mystery and you will find yourself trying to deduce who the killer is before the final revelation.
The set was also well done, enabling the action to switch between different venues – from a solicitor’s office to the country house where the killing took place.
The show runs until tomorrow (Saturday, September 27) with shows at 7.30pm tonight (Friday) and tomorrow and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.
Visit: norburytheatre.co.uk or call the box office on 01905 770154 for times, tickets and more information and to book.
