This play is based on an 1890's story by Oscar Wilde about Lord Arthur Savile, who is engaged to the lovely Sybil Merton. Her mother’s pet cheiromantist Podgers reads Lord Arthur's palm and foretells he will commit a murder. Lord Arthur desires a blissful married life and therefore feels duty bound to get the murder over with first. Will he succeed before Sybil’s mother cancels the wedding altogether?

Despite help from his butler and the cheerful anarchist Winkelkopf, Lord Arthur struggles to select a victim and a foolproof murder method. Will yet another wedding postponement notice have to be sent to The Times? Constance Cox has written a murderously funny adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s comic story - anyone who likes a bit of Wildean wit, will wilfully wallow in this wickedly wonderful comedy!

Reviews

Report by:   John Holliday on Saturday 26 March 2022 (edited)
Venue:  Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond
Director:  Gregan Davis

     For their Spring Show RADS brought the audience of Richmond a Murder Mystery with a twist. Not a “Who Did It?”, but a “Will he do it”; “How will he do it?” and “Who will he do it to”? A very clever twist on the traditional genre but a very entertaining play indeed.

     Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime, directed by Gregan Davis, used a very simple yet highly effective box set maximizing the space available on the Georgian Theatre stage and every detail in both the set and props were perfect for the period setting of the play.

     Prior to a family gathering and with his upcoming marriage firmly on his mind, Lord Arthur Savile is informed by his loving fiancée that her mother is insistent on uncovering his past and indeed potential future misdemeanours by a palm reading with a cheiromantist. Despite his reluctance, Lord Savile agrees and with the revelation of him carrying out a murder in the future he decides the best way forward is to commit the crime prior to his marriage so married life will be free from any future disasters – let pandemonium commence.

Jasper Worrallo took on the title role, a huge challenge as he barely left the stage for the entire show. Jasper coped well with a very wordy script, capturing the slightly idiotic and clearly very naïve young aristocrat. His scenes with his butler, played excellently by Mike Walker, were a delight as the two bounced ideas off each other and one by one their plots were foiled, and their proposed victims survived each attempt.

     Martha Templeton continues to impress with her performances, and the young almost juvenile portrayal of Savile’s devoted fiancée, Sybil Merton, contrasted brilliantly with her agonizing and patronizing mother, played with real conviction by Gill Page was great to watch, Lady Julia Merton clearly determined to trip up Savile and prevent the forthcoming nuptials.

     There were numerous cameo performances in the show, mostly of Savile’s family or household with strong performances from them all including Nicola Stephenson as the flirtatious maid, Roger Ordish as Savile’s strait-laced Uncle and local Dean, and I particularly enjoyed the contrasting characteristics of his two Aunts, played with real conviction by Jennifer Roberts and Jackie McLeod. Both ladies gave strong performances allowing us real insight into their relationship with Savile.

     All of these family members would come under attack from Savile and the murder methods became even more chaotic with the introduction of Herr Winkelkopf, an anarchist and lover of all things explosive! Lee Morris gave us the performance of the night, his energy level, interaction with the other characters and crazy Prussian accent never faulted and his crazy plans brought delight to the audience.

     When we first met Mr Podgers, the cheiromantist, there was always a sly undertone in his character played with great effectiveness by Lee Bowles that you always felt there would be a twist. The revelation of the fake reading and scheme to blackmail Lord Arthur brought the show to a great finale.

     With the potential for the scenes becoming repetitive with the way the play is written, Gregan did a brilliant job to keep the pace of the play going and effective mini scene changes and good use of lighting and sound the play was a resounding success. Well done to all of the team behind the scenes, the costumes, set and props gave the show the attention to detail it deserved.

     A thoroughly enjoyable evening and with wonderful hospitality from Lynne and Warnock Kerr who ensured a warm welcome. My feet are tapping already waiting in anticipation for Stepping Out in the Summer…