From the Croydon Advertiser - 7th of December, 2007

Review by Theo Spring 

4 stars

Imagine all the whodunits penned by Agatha Christie, et al, rolled into one then set to music and you have the plot of this musical. 

An excellent set, designed and created by members, provided enough doors/entrances to qualify for a farce, walls of stone appropriate to a country house built in the middle of an island and an impressive upstairs landing. 

A mixture of guests have been invited to Rancour’s Retreat in 1935, each with their own hopes and, it turns out, their own secrets. Rancour, whom we never meet, dies within minutes of curtain up, closely followed by Clive the butler, giving rise to a pastiche song explaining that the ‘butler didn’t do it!’ John Tough as Clive in an intentionally (I think!) ill fitting wig, died beautifully. Other servants survive longer – Lettie the maid (Linda Harris) being seduced out of her timidity by monetary gain; Flint, the caretaker, providing several red herrings with Ron White making him affable to divert suspicion. 

Two love affairs provide romance alongside all the murders. Jill Maynard as the elegant Lady Grace reuniting with the lover from her youth, Colonel Gillweather (christian name – Shirley – but none of the expected jokes followed!) Keith Harper was bluff and bold but showed Shirley’s soft centre in his duet with Grace - The Man with the Ginger Moustache. 

Geoffrey, a student, arrives at the house, now cut off from the mainland, to provide yet another suspect. Jeremy Nicholls used comic skills to create a buffoon of a Hooray Henry attracting the lovely ingénue Hope Langdon (a charming Louise Canfield) to fall in love with this ‘foxy Oxford coxswain’. 

Stepping in at short notice, young Dominic Binefa expertly transformed himself into the elderly Dr Grayburn and Christine Woodhead used good vocal talents as Nigella, the legal heir. The Miss Marple of the piece – Miss Tweed (Ali Morris) also shone vocally and sleuthed throughout. 

Musical Director James Beal’s keyboards sometimes overpowered the softer voices, in spite of their radio mikes, but songs came over with verve, particularly the chorus numbers. 

Responsible for the glamorous costumes as well as directing, Gee Rook scored highly on both counts.