The Drayton Arms Theatre, London – until 1 Jun 2024
Reviewer Alec Legge
4****
Following on from the very successful ‘An Absolute Farce of a Murder Mystery‘ Peter Rae and Helen Bang reprised their roles as Lord Sebastian Hardcastle and Lady Susan Bloom in another parody of an Agatha Christie type play, written by Peter and directed by Helen and, which, in a change of location from English country house to a Somerset Maugham type setting of a colonial tropical island called Not Borneo.
The story line is that the pair are sent by the Crown to investigate a tribes missing talisman, and the theft of a jewel. Once there they meet up with a diverse bunch of characters, Abigail Dawn as Maud Pauper a servant, David Furlong as Doctor Frenchman, Laura Morgan as Lady Fleur de Meur, Richard Rycroft as Lord Peter de Meur the island Governor, Ola Teniola as Kanaka First Minister to the Local tribe, Billie Vee as Adiratna a tribal queen. All the actors were obviously well rehearsed and delivered their lines impeccably and the timing was superb.
This is a small theatre with the open stage immediately in front of the seats. The stage was set with a chaise-longue, an armchair and a few other odds and sods, all with a scruffy appearance.. The dialogue could be easily heard with the cast projecting their voices loudly.
The storyline continued at a fast pace with all the elements of farce included. Many jokes and one liners, prat falls with lots of double entendres. In a nod to the title a pith helmet was produced which led to many jokes being told, many with double meanings of a blue nature.
If you are a lover of this genre then this I a show to see. It is very much of its time, early 19 Somerset Maughan, to quote from the play, so some of its parts could be upsetting although of course that was acceptable in the time and age the play is set in.