May 2023

Jason Moore directs Geraldine Aron's

"My Brilliant Divorce" at OSO Arts Centre. Starring Louise Faulkner.

Lighting and sound design by Jonny Danciger

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August  2022 update

OnBook Theatre is pleased to announce that Suzy Bloom is joining the cast of

Landscape With Weapon.

Run dates: Sep 13 through Sep 18

@ The Cockpit Theatre

Tickets on sale now @ www.thecockpit.org.uk

THE UNEXPECTED GUEST – Manor Pavilion Theatre- Sidmouth

11 July 2022

5*****

Disregard the power of Agatha Christie at your peril. At her best she is a theatrical powerhouse and in the hands of a director with nous and imagination can be a phenomenal stage treat. In this production, Jason Moore is just that director.

First performed in 1958, THE UNEXPECTED GUEST was an original play rather than one based on one of Christie’s own novels. It has an unusual structure, the murder takes place before the curtain opens and as the action continues you understand more about the victim as the number of suspects pile up. As ever with Christie, the plotting is intricate and brilliant and the twists and turns are sharp and surprising and as unexpected as the guest in the title.

The opening scene of this production is hugely atmospheric; darkness, silhouettes, a fog horn, a torch flashing around a room and an urgent, sinister atonal sound underscoring the action (the same sound returns throughout and is mightily effective); it has a Hitchcockian vibe and the audience is sucked in from the word go. What follows is wordy but absorbing throughout thanks to the direction and a cast who flesh out the rather two-dimensional characters which Agatha Christie sometimes writes.

Steve Blacker-Barrowman is compelling as Michael Starkwedder – the titular ‘Unexpected Guest’ – he dictates the lengthy opening exposition with great skill along with Julia Main who is totally convincing as the victim’s wife, Laura; she can portray panic and fluster as well as anyone. Jill Stanford is stately and commanding as the matriarch of the family that is caught up in the murder of Richard Warwick; who we discover isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, and Marion Tovey is spot-on in her portrayal as the fussy, loyal Miss Bennett.

Brendan Matthew patently has a ball as the obsequious manservant Henry Angell – if his portrayal doesn’t make your flesh creep then you are barely human; a performance brimming with character. Dominic McChesney is equally unsympathetic as Julian Farrar; if you want to see ‘disdain’ dished out with ease, then this is a performance to watch. In his first professional stage role, Brandon Eady plays the teenager Jan: in the script the character is referred to as ‘retarded’ – a different era, as we would most likely suggest the he is somewhere on the Autistic Spectrum. A happy character, but with issues and who speaks about what he sees without filters; it is a role which could be played for laughs, but here it is performed with great observation and skill; it is utterly captivating and touching – a debut of immense promise. Investigating the crime is the ever-excellent James Pellow as the no-nonsense Inspector and Gareth Thomas who is joyful as the poetry-loving Sergeant Cadwallader complete with cheeky asides and a cracking Welsh accent.

This is not a regular production of an Agatha Christie play; it feels fresh, energetic and stylish. Much thought has been put into elevating the norm into something very special. Skilfully directed and performed on a beautifully realised set, augmented by atmospheric lighting and sound, the audience are entranced throughout and left stunned at the final curtain.

Don’t miss this complete treat! ‘THE UNEXPECTED GUEST’ runs until 16 July and tickets are available on www.manorpavilion.com and 01395 514413

July 2022 update - Jason Moore directs Agatha Christie's "The Unexpected Guest" at Sidmouth Summer Play Festival, produced by Paul Taylor Mills.

The production receives a 5 star review from

Cormac Richards @ Theatreplays.uk