Murder on the Menu Review by Geoff Griggs
- Last week, the editor [of the Ely Standard] suggested that I leave town. Not daring to ignore his advice I booked two places at the HAmDramS production at the Arkenstall Centre. For one night only the main hall had been transformd into a high class, but struggling, restaurant, The Woodheath. We were greeted by Michael Baines (Rob Bush) the Maitre d' and seated with courtesy and efficiency. During the course of the meal we diners were made aware of tensions and relevant histories among the staff and certain customers.
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- The restaurant owner, Claire Leslie (Elizabeth Pinder-Ashenden) had once run off with the husband of the food critic, Pamela Le Roy (Lyndsey Goddard). Claire's estranged, lottery-winning daughter, Michelle Hopkins (Jess Garrett) was also dining that evening. It became apparent that both Jeff Markes (Matt Stuttle) the Sommelier and David Pearce (Mike Walters) the restaurant manager, afflicted with wandering hands, were both deeply involved in their own fiddles at the owner's expense. Once Jeff's romantic involvement with two of the waitresses, Elizabeth (Susie Jamieson) and Jennifer (Amy Bell) became known, many of the diners were totally confused as to who might be the murder victim.
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- Throw in a health inspector (Steve Ware) and a French chef with decidedly cross-chanel accents (Nick Chapman) and the scene was set for some real tension. The mood was lifted by The Woodheath's own Little Mo, dim but loveable waitress Debbie Mills (Sarah Chapman) and her total inability to understand the restaurant critic's requirements for gluten-free, nut-free vegan food.
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- After it was announced that the manager had been found dead in his office the audience/diners were givn the opportunity to question the customers and staff. Each participant was obliged to tell the truth except the guilty party, the table identifying the murderer winning a Christmas hamper.
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- For a fledgling society that only came into existence this year this was an ambitious venture that worked well. The participants did not have a script as such, but improvised their lines in the characters devised by Lyndsey Goddard and Rob Bush, who also devised the action. The wife agrees with the editor that I should be sent out of town again soon if it is for another excellent evening like Murder on the Menu at Haddenham.
- Fact: >
- The murderer and victim were only chosen half an hour before the show started
