Murder in Company at KaDS

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Posted 2016-02-15 by Douglas Sutherland-Bruce ⇒ follow

Fri 26 Feb 2016 - Sat 19 Mar 2016

I'm not sure what amateur theatrical companies would do if Philip King had stuck to his first love, acting, and not turned to play writing as well.

His plays are a staple of community theatre - his best known farce See How They Run is currently running at Garrick Theatre there is a review here. And On Monday Next was recently at Marloo.

He also collaborated with other writers - with Falkland Cary he wrote Big Bad Mouse and with John Boland he wrote Kads' next production - Murder in Company.

King loved acting and actors and the whole business of producing a play. Consequently a lot of his plays are set in or around the theatre - On Monday Next was one and Murder in Company is another.

The plot is this: A dramatic society is assembling on the stage of a church hall to rehearse a mystery thriller under its somewhat dictatorial director Philip Stephens.

Events and strains within the company more than equal those in the play. Philip's wife is too friendly with a young man of the company, a prowler is in the neighbourhood and attacks one of the girls, an unpleasant caretaker tries a little blackmail and one of the women seems to know him from the past.

The rehearsal proceeds under difficulties until the mysterious death of the caretaker brings the situation of the whodunit even more closely into real life. It transpires that almost everyone might, and could, have murdered the dead man.

More drama than comedy, Murder in Company is directed for Kads by Youth Theatre Co-ordinator Christine Ellis.

Murder in Company runs from the 26th February to the 19th of March at the Town Centre Theatre, Kalamunda.

Tickets cost $20 for week days and matinees. Saturday night performances cost $30, which includes a fish and chip supper. Tickets are available from the Lucky Charm Newsagency in Kalamunda or by ringing 9293 4746.