Nottingham Theatre Royal – until Saturday 5 March 2022
Reviewed by Louise Ford
3***
The wireless greets the audience as they take their seats. The light music and commentary set the scene. England post war, 1949, the year that the family favourite board game was launched. The game was devised during the war by Anthony Pratt and his wife Elva. He based the board game on the game of “Murder”, played in Country Houses pre-war.
As the curtain rises we see the board set out before us in the form of the Country House, Body Manor. The clever set, it really does steal the show, was designed by David Farley. All of the rooms, the kitchen, the conservatory, the study, the lounge, the billiard room, the dining room and, the library, can be seen from the central entrance hall. Of course there are also secret passageways.
The play is directed by Mark Bell( of The Play That Goes Wrong).
The first player on to the board is the butler – Wandsworth (Jean-Luke Worrell ) He really is the centre piece of the show, with his knowing looks, extra long arms and immaculate gloves (which don’t quite fit!).
The door bell rings and the cast arrive. All of the well known characters are there, kitted out in their respective colours; Colonel Mustard (Wesley Griffith), Miss Scarlett (Michelle Collins), Professor Plum (Harry Bradley), Mrs Peacock(Judith Amenga), Mrs White (Etisyai Philip) and of course Reverend Green (Tom Babbage). They are not sure why they have been invited or even who has invited them . But they all have a motive for murder.
As the story unfolds the suspects are each given a package, which contains a potential murder weapon. Are they for self defence or for a darker reason? Rest assured that each of the weapons is given an airing, or two, during the play!
The pace of the play and the action speeds up as the body count mounts. The cast race around the board carrying furniture, props and bodies to keep the story and chaos moving.
This isn’t a classic whodunnit, although there is a denouement at the end and I’m sure that there are clues liberally sprinkled through out the scenes, more a slap stick country house farce. It’s humorous and ridiculous in equal measure and went down very well with the audience.