Review: Agatha Christie's A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED Brings Murder And Mayhem To The Heart Of Sydney

Friday 9th June 2017, 7:30pm, Genesian Theatre, Sydney

John Grinston (director) brings Agatha Christie's A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED to the Sydney stage with Leslie Darbon's adaptation of the book of the same name. The classic who'dun'it mystery, filled with twists and turns will satisfy fans of Christie's famous elderly sleuth, Miss Marple.

For those unfamiliar with the book, the premise of A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED is that the middle aged spinster Letitia "Letty" Blacklock (SuzAnn James) lives a comfortable if somewhat uneventful life at "Little Paddocks", an apparently large home in Chipping Cleghorn, a country town in England. She shares her home with an older companion Dora "Bunny" Bunner (Ros Richards); her spoilt young cousins Julia Simmons (Molly Haddon) and Patrick Simmons(Anthony King) who refer to her as an Aunt due to their age difference; a lodger in the form of a young widower Phillipa Haymes (Emma Wright) who also tends to the gardens; and a young Polish migrant housekeeper and cook, Mitzi (Jess Davis). The house is startled by Bunny's discovery of newspaper advertisement stating that a murder will take place at the property with specifics of date and time. Naturally the townsfolk, including Miss Marple, (Sandra Bass) have also read this notice and turn up before the specified time to witness a murder, despite Patrick's theories that it was a hoax meant to refer to cake rather than crime. The majority of the story revolves around Inspector Craddock (Peter Allison) investigating the crime with the somewhat unwanted assistance from Miss Marple.

Rachel Giuffre has created a detailed space for Grinston's cast to occupy. The Trome-l'oeil walls give the impression of a delicately plastered sitting room in a large country home. A variety of seating with sufficient room to still move gives the impression of space and allows focus to be drawn to different areas. The costuming is kept to a relatively simple expression of 1950's country casual.

Whilst the work initially appears to be a 'straight' dramatization, the increase in over exaggerated accents and performances steer the work into a somewhat farcical expression making this a comedy as much as a murder mystery. Whilst Grinston has carefully directed the work, there appears to be moments when he has allowed the actors to improvise when not holding the focus of the plot, leading to some more amusing moments. As with other pro-am works that take on the challenge of accent work, this production also has its variability in accuracy and consistency which does detract from the performances.

Performances of note come from Ros Richards as Bunny and Jess Davis as Mitzi. Richards ensures that Bunny's frailty is endearing, ensuring that she is seen as earnest and caring, garnering a sympathy when Letty bosses her around and tries to dismiss her as doddery and senile. Davis' explosions as the volatile and suspicious migrant are delightful in her exaggeration of the accent and her passive aggressive physicality.

Genesian Theatre Company's A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED is an enjoyable expression of a classic murder mystery with a multitude of plot twists, this is a fun night that will have you guessing and laughing throughout.

A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED

Genesian Theatre

420 Kent Street Sydney