New Year’s Eve carnage in Kent!
- Mar 4
- 2 min read
Murder at Midnight a comedy thriller written by Torben Betts, directed by Philip Franks, at the Belgrade Theatre from 3 - 7 March.
Review by Heidi Barber.
Written by acclaimed playwright Torben Betts and starring several actors from some of TV’s top soaps and dramas, this fast paced, comedy thriller will keep you guessing right until the final scene. It is a companion piece to Original Theatre’s 2023/2024 successful production of ‘Murder in the dark’.
Set in a luxury mansion in Kent, the play is a wonderful satire of cockney gangster culture. The clever set design enables the audience to witness the unfolding drama in numerous different rooms of the mansion without any cumbersome set changes.
Essentially the action revolves around Jonny the cyclops (Jason Durr - Heartbeat, Casualty) who bizarrely combines the careers of pig farming and drug dealing. When Jonny returns unexpectedly early from a trip abroad, his girlfriend Lisa (Katie McGlynn - Waterloo Road, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks) is caught in a compromising situation with Paul (Max Bowden - Eastenders) who unbeknown to her, is an undercover police officer.
Adding to the ensuing chaos is Shirley (Susie Blake - Coronation Street) Jonny’s mother who allegedly has dementia and is convinced that the devil is trying to wreak revenge on her family.
The story develops at breakneck speed with lots of visual humour and rapid-fire quips. Ultimately, the rollercoaster of action ends in a bloodbath on New Year’s Eve.
Although this revenge drama is an observation of lost and desperate people who are living unhappy or unfulfilled lives, it still manages to deliver a twist at the end which will leave the audience with a smile on their faces.
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