Society prescribes thrill of murder mystery show

THE audience will be kept guessing right to the end in the latest production by Sidmouth Amateur Dramatic Society.

The society is staging Prescription for Murder by Norman Robbins in its home town this week.

GUESSING GAME: Pictured back, from the left, Paul Revell as Dr Richard Forth, Mark Donne-Davis as Eric Dawson, John Griswold as Allan Haigh, Margaret Smith as Dorothy Livingstone. Front, Karen MacGarvie as Barbara Forth, Julie Salmon as Julia Moore and Pam Eves as Mary Haigh

With a rustic setting and an ingenious plot worthy of Agatha Christie it promises to be a gripping thriller suitable for all.

The action takes place in a quiet Devon village, when all is not what it seems in the lives of Dr Richard Forth and his wife Barbara. Suspicion falls on the doctor after his third wife succumbs to a mysterious illness.

Director Barbara Wooster, from Sidford, said: "Our pantomime finished in January, so we wanted to do something that would be reasonably easy to cast and direct in a short time.

"We have a separate drama committee which reads plays and come up with suggestions which are then approved by the main committee.

"Norman's plays are mostly adaptations of stories for pantomimes, but this is a thriller. I have kept the play true to the original, which is so well written I didn't need to do anything to it.

"The ending has such a twist, none of us guessed it. The cast went to Bournemouth to see it being performed and they told me there were gasps from the audience at the end.

"The characters are really good as well, and there are no stereotypes — Norman's characters are very believable."

The intro music for each scene is by former professional musician and society member John Griswold.

"There are some lighter moments in the play, through the characterisation and facial expressions," said Barbara.

"I am so pleased with the cast who really manage to bring their characters to life, and exactly in the way I wanted them to.

"It's the first time I've directed a thriller, usually I stick to comedies, so it goes to show how struck I was by this play."

She added that the production was sure to get the audience's grey cells working as people try to work out 'whodunnit'

She said: "We have one request — that all who come to see the play keeps the ending under their hats!"

Prescription for Murder is on at The Manor Pavilion until Saturday, at 7.45pm, with a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. Tickets are £8 or £4 for under 16s. Details: 01395 514413.