MURDER IN FANCY DRESS THE WRAP
Well despite being beset by problems – illness, a funeral, a substitution of a character on the opening night, this proved to be another resounding success with the audience. We were sold out every night, the food was fantastic, courtesy of Jenny Parnwell and her lovely assistant, the Front of House team were efficient and welcoming as ever, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, audience and cast alike. Michael practically doubled the length of the production with his very funny adlibbing, Tim was a real trouper while listing to port with his bad back, Natalie managed to totter about on those incredibly high heels without breaking her ankle, Ed managed to take 2 curtain calls out of 4, newcomer Ollie was fantastic as Sergeant Constable and was really throwing himself into the part, Janet looked fabulous as June and played the part to perfection, Pam's “aardvaark” costume was a hit, and Jules' substitution, script in hand, for Roger and his Brummie accent didn't seem to detract too much from the action. Fortunately Gay was not really used but still managed to keep herself awake in her prompt corner! Katie as always was a fantastic stage manager with some great ideas, and Natalie's table names - Skimpy Homes, Far from Ideal Homes, Crudrow Homes etc. were a definite hit and looked wonderful! The tech lads – Ken, Charles and Geoff once again did a sterling job, despite there being a slight hitch with the lights on the Friday! Fortunately it was short lived and put right very quickly. Charles did a marvellous job once again with the sound effects, which were very funny and added to the proceedings onstage. Some of the audience made an effort and dressed up and there were some wonderful costumes on display – my favourites were Lawrence of Arabia and his camel, Sandy, and the two escapees from a Jane Austen novel, all of whom looked fantastic. It was just a shame that Cornwall Council, despite their assurances, did NOT manage to keep the toilets open till 9pm, but at least the disabled toilet WAS open, so although there were long queues outside it, there was at least somewhere for the audience to go – in all senses of the word! It was sad that Jenny Turner's funeral was held on the Friday, but this did not put a damper on the performances that evening, which would be just what she would have wished. Somehow I think she was looking down and joining in with the fun and laughter. Once again, great teamwork by everyone involved made this a huge success.