Review: Peter Gordon’s Murdered to Death at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal for the Colin McIntyre Classic Thriller Season

Murder is made most funny in this parody of a Marple mystery.

There’s all the usual suspects, a Colonel and his wife, a wealthy homeowner, the relative in line for a great inheritance, a delightful young lady, mysterious Frenchman, the haphazard butler, and of course the interfering old lady Mrs Maple (Marple, Marbles, Mrs Jones… if you’re Inspector Pratt) who seems to attract murder wherever she goes.

When said wealthy homeowner is shot dead, it falls on the two bumbling coppers Pratt and Tompkins to solve the crime — if they don’t accidentally shoot eachother dead first.

This production of Peter Gordon’s Murdered to Death showcases all the fun of rep theatre and is a lighthearted opening to the thriller season, a jolly production with lots to laugh at, an apt amount of scandal and a few jokes for the dirty minded.

Inspector Pratt (Nicholas Briggs) and Constable Tompkins (Pavan Maru) are a delightful pair on the stage, bringing a bit of slapstick humour to the morbid proceedings of a murder inquiry, as they hobble about the stage, trip over feet and the Chesterfield sofa, and deal with the deputy chief constable over the phone.

In the process a whole host of dirty deeds come to light — no thanks to the investigating officers — from little white lies to forgery and affairs.

The show is a bit slow going to start, as guests arrive at the lounge of the country house for a weekend reunion.

Before the comedy of the show really kicks in it feels a little like a serious murder mystery just with ridiculously over the top accents — but it picked up by half way through the first act and had me laughing along until the end.

Karen Henson in offered some moments of real humour as Mrs Maple, particularly when offering her rather racy thoughts on affairs, and David Gilbrook masters physical comedy as Bunting the Butler, the hapless household help who likes a swig of the good sherry.

Murdered to Death plays at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal until Saturday, August 10, and will be followed by the second show of the Colin McIntyre Classic Thriller Season, Fatal Encounter, from Tuesday, August 13.