REVIEW - Bristol Evening Post Wednesday April 20th 1983  -  AGATHA RECIPE NEVER CHANGES

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Agatha Christie's classic ingredients of murder and mystery in genteel rural England have lost none of their appetising flavour over the years.

With red herrings by the shoal and almost everyone being not quite who or what they seem, I succeeded in fingering every one in the cast as the killer except the one whodunnit.

Without giving the plot away, it is sufficient to say that much hinges on a door. My lips are sealed as to why.

John Butler, who has produced the play and designed the excellent country-cottage set, has taken pains to ensure the evening's entertainment runs smoothly and effectively and has captured the feel of the thirties.

There are fine performances all round, with Brenda White (no relation) as a brisk and businesslike Miss Marple who for once does not leave the police looking complete fools.

Anthony Lay, as Inspector Craddock, charged with the job of unravelling the unpleasantries, may look and act a bit of a country bumpkin, but underneath his sturdy bowler is a sharp and devious brain.

Joy Wilkinson handles the demanding role of Letitia Blacklock very capably and there is strong support from Michael Bilson, Jill Dando, Anne Edwards, Eileen Hatch and Shirley McMahon as the assortment of waifs and strays who share her home.

The play runs until Saturday.

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REVIEW - Weston Mercury, Somerset & Avon Herald Friday April 22nd 1983  -  'THRILLER IN THE CLASSIC MOULD'

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Fans of Agatha Christie should not miss Weston Dramatic Society's production of A Murder is Announced at the

Playhouse this week.

All the conventions are meticulously observed as suspicion shifts from one character to another, and it is not until the classic denouement in the last minutes that we know "whodunnit".

The company is well cast and works hard to build the tension. A bit more terror would not come amiss in places but the difficult moments, technically, are well achieved.

Jill Dando makes a personable Julia, likely to pull the wool over most people's eyes. There's a well-judged change in her when the time comes for explanations. As Letitia, Joy Wilkinson gives a strong performance as the considerate hostess who finally accepts she is the intended victim. Eileen Hatch is lovely as absent-minded Dora, a sort of Irene Handl figure, but she should be careful not to slow the pace.

Michael Bilson makes a competent Patrick. He looks young for the part but shows considerable promise.  Shirley McMahon contributes a lot of humour to the role of the maid. She makes a wonderful first entrance  and thereafter is volatile and excitable as the part requires. And the accent is first rate.   

What an impact Brenda White makes on the play! An actress of great experience, her Miss Marple is carefully studied and sustained. It is she of course who exposes the guilty person, a wordy process in the tradition of the genre, but she commands attention completely.

Ann Edwards strikes the right note as Phillipa, responding nicely to the shifts in suspicion. The part of Edmund, like many Christie roles, is a rather thankless one but Simon Harvey fills the bill, while Mary Hughes as his mother is something of a dragon, nosy and self-centred to the end.

There are not many roles where you make your "entrance" lying down, but Anthony Lay as Inspector Craddock rises to the occasion beautifully.

This is a thorough characterisation, deftly avoiding the possibility of caricature. The result is a very human figure that we grow to like.

Peter Lightwood as the sergeant makes the most of his brief moments. Gerald White is the body.

Much thought and hard work has gone into the lighting, costumes, set and properties in this production.  The large cast is handled well, moves being unobtrusive, groupings attractive.

Weston Dramatic Society has been beset with some daunting problems in the recent past. With A Murder    is Announced, chairman John Butler has not only produced a thriller in a classic mould - he has re-established the Society among the leading amateur groups in the town.                                                                    R.G.E.