Prescription For Murder

 THIS was my second time of seeing The Broadstone Players and I must say  what a professional image the group gives, especially with their Front of House Team.

The offering this time was a Norman Robbins thriller, Prescription for Murder, which is a play based in a small Devonshire village. The story centres on Barbara Forth, the wife of the local village Doctor and how she, in the end, becomes the villain when the story line leads you to believe she is the victim. The play is very much a traditional thriller but, in my opinion, one of the stronger plays of this genre I have seen in a while.

The cast really tried their best with this production and the team work that they all showed was excellent, but at times they were not as on top of the script as perhaps they should have been and this did lead to a loss of impact when the audience found out the twist to the story, which was a real shame.

The outstanding actor for me was Stuart Glossop, playing Eric Dawson. His command of both the stage and the script was excellent as was his characterisation, which built up beautifully as the plot developed. Good performances were also given by Lesley Gannon (Dorothy Livingstone) and Estelle Hughes (Julia Moore).

The whole performance felt safe in the hands of director Marion Watson but a little bit more time on developing some characterisation would not have gone amiss and could have taken this production into a very high standard indeed.

The big question for me is what the residents of Broadstone are doing? On the final performance the hall was only half full, which is a crying shame. Good local theatre is on your doorstep so get out and support them!

Broadstone Players – Keep it up!