MURDER BY APPOINTMENT by Frank Williams Director: Leon Mckenna PADOS Theatre Group As I sat there in anticipation for the play to start, we were plunged into darkness as the first scene began. The sound of heavy rain and thunder and lightning erupted round the auditorium as a chaotic, panicked David Langford, played by Frederick Torrance, ran into the living room of the family home, where the thriller play was continually set. He was peering out the window during the storm, creating suspicion and was agitated, as you would expect from this play. Langford, throughout the play had strong characterisation, he was softly spoken, he was suspicious yet trustworthy and his portrayal of the character had the audience believing him one minute and suspecting him the next – as you would expect with a murder mystery. He denied knowing the murder victim and then it slowly became apparent he did indeed know him. Richard Langford, portrayed by Rob Livesey, was the father of the family. He was softly spoken and you felt he was a true Gentleman and considered upper class. Livesey had strong characterisation skills and you felt his family really looked up to him. Playing alongside Livesey was Vicki Wilson (Debut PADOS production) who was playing the role of Richard’s wife, Joan Langford. Wilson was well timed and dialogue delivered at a great pace. When it became apparent that the opening scene followed a murder on the cliff top, Joan immediately began injecting suspicion into the characters by questioning her own family of their whereabouts. She was not forceful but ensured the audience knew what she was intending when raising suspicion. She was beginning to work out the story ahead of the audience and she developed a strong relationship with the audience as you felt you could trust her. Wilson had great stage presence, she was natural and trustworthy. The stage was crafted in the correct era with flamboyant furniture, little
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