REVIEW: Leighton Drama Group's winning chapter of Murder By The Book
Light-hearted thriller a page-turner at Leighton Buzzard Library Theatre.
YOU have to have serious concerns about the alcohol consumption of the characters in Murder By The Book, the latest crowd-pleaser staged by the Leighton Buzzard Drama Group.
In the real world each one of them would have been legless by the first half but there they were, working their way through bottles of scotch, brandy and champers and not a slurred word between them.
Their sobriety lost them the opportunity to inject a new dimension into a light-hearted tale of murder which proved so convoluted that I felt the need of a tipple myself by the final curtain.
Duncan Greenwood and Robert King's Murder By The Book was a popular choice by the drama group and played to enthusiastic audiences at the Leighton Library Theatre last week.
It was a story so contrived that its clear intentions was to wind its audience in knots – but it proved a hugely enjoyable piece of hokum.
The cast of five clearly enjoyed themselves and turned in first-rate performances in a lively production that delivered more twists, turns and red herrings, than the combined works of Agatha Christie and PD James put together.
Central to the story was a theme familiar to many thriller fans – a bitter war between estranged husband and wife.
It reminded me of the Michael Douglas/ Kathleen Turner black comedy, War of the Roses, where a couple almost killed each other in their attempts at divorce.
Again, in reality, most couples would consult a solicitor, but not when you're the obnoxious, smug, self-centred, self-important crime writer Selwyn Piper and his diva actress wife Imogen.
Why bother with the paperwork when murder was more fun?
Trying to stop them in their ruthless determination to kill each other was next-door-neighbour Peter Fletcher and the writer's PA, Christine.
Carl Russell (Fletcher) proved a bit of a find by LBDG. Making his dbut with the company, and given the best lines, the fledgling actor confidentially stole the stage from more experienced performers.
Stalwarts Randell Moll and Barbara Springthorpe were feisty as the warring Pipers though one had to pity poor Randell who spent most of the first act "dead" on the floor.
Debbie Kaye as Christine played the not-so-dumb blonde secretary with panache and a great pair of legs though her 1980s outfit (the play was set in 1986) was decidedly un-sexy.
Stephen Clark's nervous publisher, John Douglas, who conspired to help both sides in their murderous attempts, over-egged his performance but got away with it given the nature of the beast.
One wonders what Selwyn Piper, in his other guise as bitchy book critic, would have made of Murder By The Book. It probably wouldn't have met his exacting standards but it's unlikely he could have come up with anything so entertaining.
*Leighton Buzzard Drama Group's next production is it's Christmas panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, running from January 6-23. Tickets are on sale now.
Anyone wanting to get involved in the drama group, whether backstage or as a performer should contact chairman Nigel Carnell 01525 376041.
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Weather for Leighton Buzzard
Tuesday 07 February 2012
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