Last night I went to see the play Crimes Under The Sun, a spoof of Agatha Christie's crime novel Evil Under The Sun. And I enjoyed the play very much.
Brought by the New Old Friends company, who marking its 10th anniversary, the play is its third instalment of "Crimes..." series with a fourth hoped for next year. In the play they were balancing a homage to Christie's famous works (The ABC Murders being referred to as The XYZ Murders, with a mention of a library, but no body) with light-hearted humour and only two actors and two actresses performing.
Jill Myers played the female Belgian (not French) detective Artemis Arinae who is staying at an hotel on an island to write her memoirs, but crime isn't too far away.
Jonny McClean played Alcazar (the hotel manager), Redwood (who likes o refer himself as a "wild animal", is a coward when challenged) , Lucien (a small boy) and Inspector Aquafresh (and I'm making that name up, he said it was).
Heather Westwell performed Selina Bellman (a famous deep diver), Rose Wentworth (Redwood's fiancée), Maggie (a maid, who says "God rest/bless/dam his/her soul" when talking of the victim, and other people around her) and the three PCs (in reality she was dressed as one, but with glasses for the first, stooping low for the second, and with a moustache for the third, all of whom wasn't too bright as when the heard the victim's name, they thought that there was another victim).
Fears Woods Dunlop performed Nelson Cholmondeley (a traveller, who later becomes the second victim), Father Ginnell (who fears that he sees evil everywhere he goes) and Major Peavey (the first victim's husband and Lucien's father from a previous marriage, and who talks of a fight in a tavern).
The set was a simple set, that seemed able to double up for a balcony and the inside of a hotel, with bright lights for the beach, for when Arinae was thinking and when it was stormy.
How Westwell managed to play the three PCs I don't know, but she must have rehearsed for hours to get it right (and got a good applaud for it). One funny scene, when Arinae was on the beach looking for clues, Alcazar would appear carrying a tray with sandcastles with clues hidden inside of them. The first was small with a flag of England, the second flag was of the Union Jack for UK, and the third, on top f just a mound of sand had the flag of the EU.
At the side of the stage was a man and lady translating the speeches into sign language for the audience, but I was focusing on the play itself.
And I enjoyed the performance, and I hope for more like it this year at Eden Court.
I hope that you will come, see and enjoy at Eden Court.
