DISCLAIMER – I am a Garrick Theatre Committee Member and am good friends 4 of the Cast and Crew. None-the-less, this is an honest and personal review.

Myself and the wife went to see this Murder-mystery, who-dun-it production on Saturday. I understand that the season was virtually sold out even before opening night. People were being turned away at the door. Hope you found something to do Mr Johnson.

The show started with a rather sudden cut in the curtain music followed by an impressive on-stage gun-shot. The curtains rose and we find a darkened room with what looks like the silhouette of two individuals, one not moving. Soon the darkness and silence is broken by a third figure wielding a torch and rattling the doors leading outside. Once the third party entered and, rather quickly I might add, found the light switch we are introduced to the body, the wife (Olivia Darby) and the unexpected guest himself (Keith Abbot.)

The opening scene languished a bit in setting the basic plot and primary characters, and as I later learned had already undergone a bit of cutting. However, as things began to progress the establishment phase, the standard Agatha Christie fair began to flow.

I will not go into details about the rest of the story line to avoid spoilers and the like, suffice it to say that there are enough hidden truths and slightly unstated motives to have most Who-Dun-It fans happy, and it certainly had me playing mental gymnastics trying to work out the sub-plots.

The show is fortunate to have a very solid and talented cast. Olivia Darby and Keith Abbot worked very well together as the initial suspect and interloper respectively. The rest of the household is nicely fleshed out with Heather Abbot, playing the deceased’s mother Mrs Warwick, Jayne MacPherson as the housekeeper Miss Bennett and John Lobb in the part of the deceased’s man-nurse Henry Angell. The job of working out who did what was in the hands of Inspector Larry Lewis, played beautifully by Rodney van Groningen.

However my hat goes off to Chris Bedding (Srg Cadwallander) and Michael Bayliss (Jan Warwick.) Chris played the light comic relief and he was a delight to watch. I am a bit of a sucker for a comic character so his subtle antics which as far as I am concerned, always well timed and appropriate, were very welcome.

The standout performance for me was Michael’s as the slightly juvenile and ‘retarded’ Jan. Considering that he has ‘virtually’ no experience in acting only amplifies his performance as superb.

If you have already purchased tickets to this show, then I think that you are in for a treat. If not, then you could always hope for a cancellation…