Review

Uxbridge Gazette

"COMIC timing has to be one of the hardest things to master, but in WANTED - one body! the cast, especially the two bumbling solicitors, had that down to a fine art. So much so it was easy to forget you were watching an amateur production.

The play is set in 1921 and the late Charles Barraclough has left a fortune of £7,000. Gathered to hear the reading of his will is his step-daughter Miss Faith, Mabel the maid, Agnes the cook, Anne Beale the secretary, Ted Johnson the chauffeur and the two previously mentioned solicitors.

The vast fortune has, shockingly, been split between the servants. Miss Faith is furious.

She vows to get her own back, and it is not long before she starts complaining of bitter-tasting tea, and she is lying spread-eagled across the sofa. Alix Martin who played both Miss Faith and her even nastier sister, Miss Hope, showed she had no intention of letting the plebs get at 'her' fortune. She relished the part snarling and sneering convincingly at her co-actors. Angela Austin, who played the maid, was excellent as a servant who quaked in her shoes, fearing the eyes of the dead were constantly watching her.

But the two main characters, solicitors Mr Blundell and his nephew Mr Mickleby, stole the show with their carefully crafted, apparently effortless, slap-stick routine. They kept bumping into, or falling on top of each other and made good use of stage props to get laughs.

On one occasion, as his fear begins to rise, Mr Mickleby nearly strangles his uncle with the telephone wire. And, when he is left in a dark room as bait for the murderer, he starts singing My Favourite Things to stave off his nerves.

Sound and lighting were excellent - the sombre chiming of the grandfather clock signified the fear rising in everyone. The success of the piece was palpable. One had only to take note of the atmosphere after the performance.

People were still laughing as they left so future audiences can certainly look forward to The Purple Theatre Company's next production."

Synopsis

Greenacres - family home to the late Charles Barraclough and the icing on the cake for his future heirs. But who stands to inherit his millions and will it be by foul means or fair?

Family and faithful servants wait with baited breath to hear the last will and testament, only to discover that this death holds nothing but surprises! As the flood waters rise, confusion reigns and the body count increases in this farcical chiller.

It's a classic whodunnit, with mysterious long lost relatives, brooding butlers and Hector (the faithful family guinea pig!) Who will be the next victim, and is Charles Barraclough really even dead? Only time will tell...

WANTED - one body! ... But whose will it be?

Performance Details

The Purple Theatre Company performed Charles Dyer's WANTED - one body! at the Compass Theatre in Ickenham between Wednesday 27th October and Saturday 30th October 1999.