HAmDramS

A Lesson in Murder Reviews

"DANGEROUS DINNER" - A Review by Geoff Griggs
School reunions are usually fairly civilised affairs. Rivalries and grudges fade as the years pass and achievements are enhanced. Memories are taxed to try to put a name to the balding, bespectacled person before you and to visualise him in short trousers. Not all reunion dinners are the same, though.
The recent event at Redwood School proved to be an exception. Doreen the dinner lady and her staff served up a meal to bring back memories of school dinners long ago complete with pink custard. But all did not run smoothly, festering resentments spilled over from the staff room and changed the whole evening into something quite unexpected. “Redwood School” on this occasion was a figment of HAmDramS' imagination for a murder mystery evening and the assembly hall was the Arkenstall Centre in Haddenham.
As the meal progressed, vegetable soup with arguments between the Headteacher and P.E. Teacher; cottage pie with violence from the P.E. Teacher on the Science Teacher; and jam sponge with hints of blackmail from the caretaker; the crowd became more and more confused but more and more appreciative of the efforts of Doreen (Nick Chapman) the dinner “dame.”
To coincide with the cheese, biscuits and coffee, P.E. Teacher Terri made a dreadful discovery: someone had murdered the caretaker. The suspects were assembled on the stage by director Robert Bush and the audience were allowed to question them. Each staff member (with the exception of the murderer) was obliged to tell the truth. After extensive cross examination each group of diners wrote down who they thought was the guilty party and why. On the evening in question nobody got it right and the prize was decided by a draw. It transpired that Terri the P.E. Teacher was the guilty party and the glob of red on the heel of her stiletto was quite a clue which we all missed.
Our party of failed detectives thoroughly enjoyed themselves, both from entertainment and gastronomic viewpoints and congratulations are due to all involved in a fascinating evening.
Some of our audience responses to A Lesson in Murder:
"Lovely school dinner Doreen!" "We really enjoyed it" "We'll definitely come to another one!"
"A most wonderful play in our village centre. The school dinner was delicious and the acting was fantastic. Jess Garrett was brilliant - what a good actress she is. A lovely evening with lovely company."

Fact >
84 people came to see the performances