Murder Before Evensong at The Watermill
The Watermill Theatre is currently showing the adaptation of Reverend Richard Coles’ “Murder Before Evensong” and I was lucky enough to see it this week, and I have to say it is a great piece of theatre. I went to the performance not having read the book and therefore had no idea of the story, and of course no spoilers, which made the whole play even more entertaining.
Alongside the story, there is the great dialogue, lots of really great humour, some of the jokes I could see coming but they fitted so well it was a joy to laugh at them. Much of the laughter also comes from the interaction of the characters, and how the dialogue develops as we grow to know them.
Alongside the humour there is the serious business of the story, a murder mystery which leads to a number of the characters being terminated in their prime, and the developing evidence as to who might have done it. All of this is drip fed with amazing timing, and giving no idea to the perpetrator’s identity until the very end.
The cast of 9 ably deliver the 17 characters through well timed scene changes, in some cases I didn’t realise they were the same actor. For example Kate Russell-Smith was so different when she appeared as the very funny Mrs Dollinger, it fooled me for a while. She played this character so well, holding a completely different face for the duration of the role.
Ian Halland was so accomplished in the role of the rector, as was Jaz Singh Deol in the role of the detective. All the actors were completely convincing in their characterisations.
Add to that the exquisite lighting, the slick scene changes and great choices of music and audio it made for a great experience. Even small details like the additional echo to the sound in the scenes set in church. And one lovely touch at the end, the choice of music as you leave the theatre, I won’t spoil that for you here.
I strongly recommend that you try to see this before it finishes on the 14th November, you won’t be disappointed.
Images credit: Alex Brenner – Watermill Theatre
