SECONDARY CAUSE OF DEATH Poulner Player's production May 2001

MRS MALAPROP would surely have met her match in this hysterically funny spoof murder mystery, in which the aptly-named Inspector Pratt proves that he is as incompetent at speaking his own language correctly as he is at solving crimes. And in the hands of Simon Sketchley, a true master of comic timing, this hapless character was the highlight of an absolutely delightful production. He has arrived at Bagshot House, the scene of his previous failure (this play is a sequel to Murdered To Death), because he believes something sinister is about to happen – which of course it does. Within hours there appear to have been six murders, none of which he is remotely capable of solving. The convoluted story, in which almost no-one is who they seem to be, was almost irrelevant because the audience was laughing so much that the details ceased to matter. And the cast did Peter Ansell’s production great justice with splendid characterisations, not least from John Turpin (Colonel Craddock) and Sally Jenn (Cynthia Maple), and there was an impressive debut from young Adele Buxton as Nurse Parsley. Full marks too for the superb set, props and costumes that gave the production such a realistic period look. Linda Kirkman Courtesy of the Bournemouth Daily Echo.