Cour ting comedy with New Old Friends

Crimes on Centre Court at the Corn Exchange on Friday, September 30

NEW Old Friends returned to the Corn Exchange with the latest in their Crimes murder mystery series Crimes on Centre Court.

So, welcome to Whombelton International Tennis Tournament where the cast dressed as hedges – you had to be there – singing in beautiful close harmony and welcoming us to the stage with a jazzy dance routine and providing an update of the action in song throughout the play. Caitlin Abbott’s inventive set beautifully recreates the atmosphere of the tennis court,with many clever surprises as trucks turn into changing rooms, a bar and even a car.

The versatile company, Emile Clarke, Kirsty Cox, Sedona Rose and Ben Thornton, play a total of 23 characters, all skilfully developed and appropriately costumed (Connie Watson) and the speed of the changes were breathtakingly fast. The plot is filled with twists and turns as the tournament chairman Lord Knows (one of many hilarious puns) unexpectedly dies while eating, what else but strawberries and cream.

His feckless playboy son Hugh flies in from Monte Carlo to take over the chairmanship but he’s unhappy about the verdict of ‘natural causes’ for his father’s death and hires the help of Perry and Penny Pink private investigators to pursue the case.

Matters take a turn for the worse as more competitors are killed in the most farcical of situations and their names are added to the memorial board.

There was so much to enjoy in this fast-paced production, from the groan-making puns and witty oneliners.

What stood out were the many comical visual gags, including Perry going down imaginary stairs to the wonderful well-choreographed tennis match.

This slow motion action was a piece of theatrical imaginative invention that had the audience gasping and laughing in delight.

But with so many of the contestants dead we were left with a message on the scoreboard of ‘whodunit ?’

The dénoument astutely tied all the complex strands together in this rollicking romp that certainly was game, set and match to New Old Friends Theatre.