NORTH EAST ESSEX THEATRE GUILD

ADJUDICATION

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INTRODUCTION
THE SET
PROPS
LIGHTING & SOUND
COSTUME & MAKE-UP
ACTING
DIRECTION

INTRODUCTION
Having chosen a seat, which hopefully would give me a good view of the stage and action, and bought my programme I settled to await the start of this Agatha Christie "take-off'. This is a play involving mystery in an amusing style with characters whose type reflects the Agatha Christie image. There was some lively 30's music playing as the audience began to arrive on this first night performance. Bearing in mind that this performance clashed with the England v. Switzerland match the hall was pleasingly full.

THE SET
It can be difficult on a small acting area to establish both a suitable set and room for the actors to move easily. This was basically well achieved although the hallway behind the double doors seemed rather spacious leaving little depth where the settee was situated but maybe this was necessary to enable actors to wait for their entrances. Indeed movement on and off the stage seemed easy and with carefully selected furnishings space was left for the actors to move naturally about Mildred's lounge. The green chosen for the walls was appropriate for the period and the doors were really solid - a necessity when they were being used constantly. With limited space an archway leading to the dining room was an excellent idea. Keeping furnishings to a minimum helped in creating space without losing the sense of period. The fireplace, stage left, was another sound construction. Well done to both the designer and to those who helped to put together a solid set.

PROPS
Those which dressed the stage were well chosen to suit the basic set. The settee covered in striped material to match the walls and the wing armchair by the fire gave the feeling of a manor house along with the pictures, drinks table and other homely objects. By leaving the area uncluttered yet putting enough stage props to create both a sense of period and a warmth to the place gave the cast a reasonable acting area and the audience a sense of the surroundings. The various personal props were appropriate and well handled.

LIGHTING & SOUND
The time of day for each scene was reasonably well conveyed though it is not easy to get the subtle changes of a few hours. As I was watching from the same side as the fireplace I was unable to gain any sense of whether or not there was a suggestion of firelight glowing at the beginning of the play. Certainly I saw no glow reflected on to the furniture. It would have helped to create a welcoming atmosphere for the expected guests. Sorry if I missed it. Sound effects were good although the gunshot at the end of Scene 1 was .a little late. The music at the start of the play was stirring and assisted in setting the atmosphere that was forthcoming.

COSTUME & MAKE-UP
There was obviously a great deal of care taken over this. Hair was fashioned in the period of the 30s and the ladies were attired to help define their personalities clearly. Attention to detail was to be commended. The dress of Dorothy clearly showed her position in this household as did Mildred's somewhat lavish attire of black velvet, pearls and lace gloves worn to impress her visitors, especially the Colonel. Hats were very pert and of the thirties in design. The Colonel, though in civvies, was costumed to remind us that he had been a military man whilst Bunting looked immaculate in his uniform. The variety of costume added visual interest and giving a change of costume to the characters helped mark the passing of time. Make-up, where required, was nicely applied. Congratulations to Yvonne Amoss and her helpers.

ACTING
Mildred - Val Eldridge, looking elegant and very much the owner of this manor house, started her dialogue at a pace which was rather too even. She played the part with a directness but when the Colonel arrived she could have been rather more flirtatious. Val needed to establish a warm relationship with Dorothy from the beginning. As the scene progressed so she eased into the character in a more relaxed fashion.

Dorothy - Behaving in an efficient and quiet manner Lesley Mercer established her character quickly. She used facial expression well and made good eye contact. Her reaction to Elizabeth was very clearly portrayed and she changed pace when confronting Pierre showing the strength of this character. Lesley conveyed any humour in the part well and contrasted this nicely when expressing her feelings for the demise of Mildred. This was a good, energetic performance.

Bunting - Immaculate in dress and formal in manner, pace was rather too slow at the beginning when talking with Mildred. His often repeated line "As you like ma'am" was amusing as he sustained a regular deliberate delivery of these words. Terry Chatterton created a consistent performance and highlighted the humour of the part as he got into the play.

Colonel Charles Craddock - Richard Heath conveyed this character with a tone of voice and pace of line delivery which suggested the military. His use of a monocle was efficient though I did wonder, once or twice, whether it was of concern to him. Richard nicely emphasised the dialogue that brought out any comedy and looked suitably surprised when confronted by Margaret over his affair with Mildred.

Margaret Craddock - Delivering lines with a sharpness and in a pointed manner Sandra Dillon established this character's coolness and impatient attitude well. She listened convincingly to others and interposed her lines with zest and authority. Her posture was consistent with this character — erect and stiff. Only when confronted by her husband's affair do we see the true, determined Margaret. Sandra gave a clear interpretation of the character. Well done.

Pierre Marceau - Looking fairly casual and with a well sustained accent Roy Cutting made a good contrast both visually and in manner to the other men. However, the performance could have had more vitality. There did not seem to be sufficient reaction to Dorothy's comments about forgery. Quicker take-up of cues would have helped. Toward the end of the play positioning was awkward and there was blocking of Thompkins. Once the change of accent came dialogue with Elizabeth took on greater energy.

Elizabeth Hartley-Trumpington - Fran Davies created a sense of making every effort to be one of the smart set. She was careful in gesture and delivered her lines with a clarity of tone. Her responses to Dorothy were sharp and pointed whilst not giving anything away in facial expression which was falsely charming. The flirtatious approach to the police was perhaps a little overdone. Fran's change of accent when talking to Pierre toward the end was good and in this scene the pace became livelier in the delivery of dialogue. A pleasing performance.

Joan Maple — Lesley Raby was rather too quiet on her first entrance, there needed to be greater impact in her voice to allow the audience to quickly establish her role hi the happenings; it was rather flat. Looking sufficiently like a "Miss Marples" Lesley gave the character some suitable mannerisms. She listened well as the plot developed and seemed to ease into the role as the events unfolded. Lesley showed a more confident Miss Maples as she helped to solve the mystery.

Inspector Pratt — Both in movement and speech Keith Raby soon established the inefficiency of this policeman. He fidgeted nicely with the lapels of his raincoat when he realised he was out of his depth. Whilst Keith delivered lines, generally, with pace there were one or two moments when he needed to display more energy and enthusiasm especially when he first appeared. By the second act this was achieved and lines pointed the humour well. In the first act he did not seem to pick up cues soon enough.
Constable Thompkins - Looking every bit the "local cop" Grant Borroff stood well and listened well reflecting his thoughts with subtle facial expression. His responses to the Inspector were quick and meaningful. Grant managed his wounded foot convincingly and put energy into playing the part. Well done.

DIRECTION

To establish both the humour and create the mystery of such a play as this Agatha Christie "take off' is not easy to achieve for it needs pace to build up the events to the unravelling of the murder as well as the highlighting of comedy dialogue. There were times in this production when pace was lacking in variety; it was too even. Cues needed to be picked up more quickly even if delivery did not have to be quicker. Movement on this small stage was well directed and appeared natural as did getting on and off the set. Characters were clearly established overall and we could see the type each portrayed although one or two on this first night took a little time to relax into their parts. The team working to create set and costume are to be congratulated on producing both a background and clothes to assist the actors in their performances.