Contrasting and thought-provoking Priory Youth Theatre double bill
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
Too Many Detectives at the Murder Mansion and Brainstorm. Performed at The Priory Theatre, Kenilworth on Saturday 28 February 2026.
Review by Charles Essex.
Directors Nicky Main and Bev Avis Dakin made great choices with their selection of two contrasting plays for the latest youth theatre productions. Too Many Detectives at the Murder Mansion performed by the younger players was a murder mystery in which famous fictional detectives gathered after their host was murdered. Each detective was cleverly introduced so there was no confusion as to their identities.
The excellent costuming and the dialogue clarified who the actors were. Oscar Weightman in deerstalker and with meerschaum pipe brought Sherlock Holmes to life. The Scooby Doo gang were all instantly identifiable, even though this reviewer had not seen the TV series for decades, with clever self-effacing dialogue and even a (stuffed) dog. Batman in costume was excellent with a tough-guy voice, comically appearing whenever his name was mentioned. Miss Marple was a miniature version of the figure everyone recognises, and Sam Spade had humorous lines as he spoke his thoughts as he does in the novels, even though the people he was talking about were present.
The two ‘real’ detectives from the local police department investigating the murder, Emily Strelluf and Martha Wilson, projected really well as they quizzed witnesses. Each witness described what they had seen off stage, which ingeniously allowed a reenactment in a spotlight at the other side of the stage. This was a laugh-out loud feelgood performance.
After the interval, nine teenagers introduced themselves to us. In a shrewd move, the directors allowed them to include details of themselves, their likes, dislikes and ambitions. The goal though was to teach the audience the neuroscience of the teenage brain, which they achieved admirably. Several took turns individually to present extracts from podcasts and then coming together as a group for a disco and interactions, both fraught and friendly.
There was clever audience participation with a game of “Who has never…”. It was especially poignant when they each spoke as if to their parents, explaining their frustrations, angst and acknowledging failings. All did well, with Antonio Pinheiro and Francesca Reid particularly standing out.
Without the assistance of any of them being miked up in either play on this occasion meant the varied ability to project led to some dialogue being difficult to hear. However, directors Nicky and Bev have the excellent policy of giving all the youngsters a part rather than auditioning and skilfully weaving each child into the story. Overall, this was a very entertaining production and bodes well for the future of local theatre.
See what’s next at The Priory: https://www.priorytheatre.co.uk/
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