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Death by Fatal Murder – Connaught Theatre, Worthing

Writer: Peter Gordon Director: Ian Dickens Reviewer: Jenni Dixon The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★☆☆ Set in the 1940s in the secluded country home of Nancy Allwright (Michelle Hardwick, The Royal), the play follows the return of Inspector Pratt (David Callister) as he tries his hand at solving the disappearance of a fellow constable. All the action takes place in [...]

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The Woman in White – Connaught Theatre, Worthing.

Writer: Wilkie Collins Adaptor: Nicola Boyce Director: Ian Dickens Reviewer: Bill Avenell The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★½☆ I have always enjoyed Wilkie Collins but his plots are convoluted, written in the epistolary style and though it works well in my view for Collins, I think this makes it very hard to adapt for the stage. Nicola Boyce’s adaptation, produced [...]

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Death By Fatal Murder – Derby Theatre

Writer: Peter Gordon Director: Ian Dickens Reviewer: Selwyn Knight The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★☆☆ Inspector Pratt’s record of crime detection at Bagshot House is certainly not enviable! In his previous visit, the body count mounted disastrously as he looked on, helpless and hopeless. Now he has been called back in this spoof country house mystery set in 1940’s Britain. [...]

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Nightfright – The Connaught theatre, Worthing

Writer: Roger S. Moss Director: Chris Moreno Reviewer: Ann Bawtree The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★★☆ Lovers of melodrama and anyone else who appreciates an entertaining evening at the theatre can do no better than to see Roger S. Moss’s “Nightlife”. It is a well worn and trusted formula beloved of addicts to “Midsommer Murders”, Miss Marple, Poirot and the [...]

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Fatal Encounter – Darlington Civic Theatre

Writer: Francis Durbridge Director: Ian Dickens Reviewer: Ian Cain The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★★☆ If Francis Durbridge is worthy of the accolade of being the undisputed master of writing thrillers, then Ian Dickens must surely be the master of staging them. Having already presented three acclaimed tours of Durbridge’s work – ‘Murder with Love’, ‘A Touch of Danger’ and [...]

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It’s Never Too Late – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

Writer: Ron Aldridge Director: Ian Dickens Reviewer: Ann Bawtree The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★★☆ First produced in 2005 this enjoyable play is of the type that rarely seems to reach the professional stage now. An updated drawing room comedy set in the elegant drawing room of David North’s design, it presents varying situations and characters readily identifiable in the [...]

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Night Fright – The Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage

Writer: Roger S. Moss Director: Chris Moreno Reviewer: Ian Cain The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★★★ Newlyweds Frank and Jenny Gilman think they have found their dream home, a converted chapel in a quiet country village. However, their return from honeymoon, a day earlier than expected, unearths mysterious happenings and sparks strange behaviour from some of the locals. Soon, the [...]

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Fatal Encounter – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

Writer: Frances Durbridge Director: Ian Dickens Reviewer: Susan Locke The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★☆☆ Fatal Encounter is a classic Durbridge thriller that aims to keep the audience guessing as it twists and turns through a plot that nets a fair few red herrings. The action of the play takes place in the living room of Howard Mansfield’s large Holland [...]

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