Review: Rehearsal for Murder

THE Classic Thriller Theatre Company (formerly The Agatha Christies Theatre Company) has come up with a great production as their first outing under their new name. Under the production and management of impresario Bill Kenwright and directed by Roy Marsden best known for his role as Inspector Adam Dalgleish on TV for fourteen years, this is a classic whodunit with many twists and turns throughout the play. The joint writing team of Richard Levinson and William Link, writers of such classic series as Columbo, Ellery Queen and Murder She Wrote, have created a thriller that keeps the audience guessing the outcome right up to the last few minutes of the play.

Playwriter Alex Denison is left heartbroken when his fiancée Monica Wells is found dead at her apartment block apparently from suicide. However, Alex is convinced she has not killed herself and one year on from that tragic night reassembles all the cast and crew from the play in which she was the leading lady. This is to read through a new play which he has based on actual events from the year before and as the rehearsal progresses the audience see that any one of half a dozen people could have been responsible for Monica’s murder as they all had motives to kill her.

The acting in the play was excellent, particularly from Alex Fearns in the main role of Alex Denison. This former bad boy from Eastenders played this part superbly. He was well supported by Susie Amy as Monica, and Gary Mavers as Lloyd Andrews the director of the play in which Monica was starring. There are two former pop stars turned actors in the production – Mark Wynter as David Matthews, Monica’s leading man, and Anita Harris as Bella Lamb the financier of Alex’s previous play, both of whom turned in very good performances. There were also very good performances from Lauren Drummond as Karen Daniels and Leo Gibbs as Ben Nelson, two of the actors in Alex’s original production.

I have always been a lover of thrillers and this particular production lived up to my expectations as one would expect from a Bill Kenwright production. A cliff-hanger from start to finish. Rehearsal for Murder runs until Saturday at The Grand in Leeds. Visit www.leedsgrandtheatre.com or ting 0844 8482700 to book.

by John Burland