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Deadly Nightcap, Churchill Productions, Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne

WITH the combination of a top-notch thriller by an acknowledged master of the genre, Francis Durbridge, fine direction by professional actor/director Damien Thomas and a first-rate cast, this production could hardly fail to score – and score it most certainly did.

The cleverly written plot centres round an estate agency owned by Sarah Radford (a brilliant performance by Jan Wyld) and her brother Edward (Mark Ritchie) but run by her husband Jack (Fraser Davidson), who has dodgy dealing and ruthlessness down to a fine art.

Stir in a mistress (Tracey Nichols), a disgruntled employee (Graham Haigh) and a family friend with an agenda (Sammy Boyle) and you have plenty of suspects when murder is committed. But the twist is in the fact that the main female characters are members of a drama club – and one at least is acting as if her life depends on it…

Police inspector turned writer Cliff Jordan (Adrian Tuite) susses it all out, of course, although Daily Echo reviewer fails dismally and only picks up red herring.

The outstanding cast, which also included Jan Farrington, Charles Upton and Nigel Stanley, made the play seem entirely natural and realistic and well deserving of the full houses it attracted.

Linda Kirkman

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