The Other Side of Murder claims to be funny, shocking and deliciously unsettling – and so it is, in parts!
This dark farce, starring the talented Rufus Hound (One Man, Two Govnors, Wind in the Willows), Susie Blake (Victoria Wood, Coronation Street) and Carla Mendonca (My Parents Are Aliens, Coronation Street), is wildly unpredictable.
Medium Peter – aka Darius Devine – has seen his career in decline, but his manager, promoter and wife Susannah has managed to get him a primetime slot on TV. It is cause for celebration.
Unfortunately, the celebratory meal, to which his estranged daughter Jen has been invited, goes disastrously wrong.
Preparations are interrupted by the unexpected appearance of his pregnant, spurned mistress Laura. She threatens to expose his infidelity unless he gives her a huge payoff. Peter’s wife mistakes Laura for a French chef booked to prepare dinner.
Aisha Jawando and Beth Lilly give suitably forceful performances as Laura and a hostile Jen, who has come to visit Peter from her home in Australia despite not forgiving him for leaving her mother many years ago.
Rufus Hound is perfectly cast as the egotistical, pompous Peter, whose frustrated wife Susannah is also superbly played by Carla Mendonca. They bounce off each other very well.
But Susie Blake steals the limelight as Peter’s eccentric mother-in-law, Miriam, who claims to be a better spiritual medium than him. As chaos reigns and then tension mounts, she proves it. The dotty Miriam also contributes several comic moments with her repeated outbursts of Gilbert and Sullivan lyrics.
I felt my attention drifting on a couple of occasions, but I was riveted by the menace of Laura’s thuggish husband Jason (Andy McLeod).
Writer Torben Betts, following Murder in the Dark and Murder at Midnight, pokes fun at how some marriages become stale – and the right of wives to take revenge on their promiscuous husbands.
Betts stretches credibility to the limit at times, but the fine direction of Philip Franks ensures that this Original Theatre Company production provides an entertaining, if quirky, experience.
Tony Flood spent most of his working life as a journalist, initially on local and regional papers and then on nationals. He was also editor of Football Monthly, Controller of Information at Sky Television and enjoyed a spell with The People before retiring in 2010.
He recalls: “My work as a showbiz and leisure writer, critic and editor saw me take on a variety of challenges - learning to dance with Strictly Come Dancing star Erin Boag, becoming a stand-up comedian and playing football with the late George Best and Bobby Moore in charity matches.
“Now I spend much of my time writing books, and theatre reviews and articles for online magazines Unknown Kent and Sussex and The Write Site. I recently retired from playing veterans football, having been one of the oldest - and slowest - players in the country!” Tony's first book was fantasy adventure SECRET POTION, which went to No. 1 in its Amazon category and has been recommended by other authors for Harry Potter fans of all ages.
His celebrity book, MY LIFE WITH THE STARS – SIZZLING SECRETS SPILLED! is full of anecdotes and revelations about showbiz and sports personalities, including Eric Morecambe, Elvis Presley, Kylie Minogue, George Best, Frank Sinatra, Joan Collins, Strictly Come Dancing stars, Muhammad Ali and Bobby Moore, with whom Tony worked.
The versatile Mr Flood then turned to writing in another genre with spicy crime thriller TRIPLE TEASE, endorsed by best-selling author Peter James, actor Brian Capron and The Sun newspaper's Stuart Pink. Following the success of TRIPLE TEASE, Tony wrote STITCH UP! – KILLER OR VICTIM? and FALL GUY.
In BEGGARS BELIEF compassionate copper DCI Harvey Livermore and his Major Crime Team are again trying to put a killer behind bars in a gripping, fast-moving story.
Tony has also co-written, with his wife Heather Flood, LAUGHS AND TEARS GALORE – STORIES AND POEMS WITH TWISTS!
Tony gives talks about the showbiz and sports stars featured in his celebrity book, as well as holding miniworkshops and giving advice on how would-be authors can write a successful book. Any groups wishing to contact him can email: tflood04@yahoo.co.uk Tony is chairman of Anderida Writers of Eastbourne. The link for the Anderida website is:www.anderidawriters.co.uk
