"Murder In Play" by Simon Brett.

Belper Players.

Strutts Centre, Belper.

Here's another play that I've not seen before, and I love getting the opportunity to watch plays that are new to me. Belper Players, who celebrate 90 years this year, presents a play within a play where the actors play actors who also play actors. Confused? If I can work that statement out, I'm sure you can.

Boris Smolensky's budget repertory production of "Murder at Priorswell Manor" is looking decidedly shaky. The cast are more interested in their egos than the play and life imitates art when Boris's wife, Renee, is murdered on stage. But who has motive? Or what I should say is who doesn't have motive enough to do 'er in?

Boris Smolensky, the pompous, womanizing director of the amateur/repertory company, is played by Terry Stevenson. Wonderfully full of self-importance and the power that, as Director, he wields. His wife, Renee knows all about his well-worn casting couch, but knows that he will always come back to her. With knowledge she also has power over several of the cast. Terry is having a whale of a time playing Boris if the energy that he throws into the role is anything to go by.  Love all the flouncing and temper tantrums as much as the sliminess with the young actresses in the cast.

Jane Robertson is Renee Savage, Boris's wife (and the actress playing Lady Dorothy Cholmondley), whose character gets murdered on stage. We're told just how Renee's exit is carried out but narrowing the list of suspects down is not so straight forward. Because the play within the play has to go on, Dorothy's character is later played by Christa, but before Renee's end has been sealed we discover that she has something over Christa. A lovely pompous performance complete with inflated ego performed beautifully by Jane.

Ginette Vincent, a naive, star-struck actress playing Lady Virginia Cholmondley, is played by Joanna Raisin. What I love about this role is just how wonderfully hammy the portrayal of Virginia is. You can have a hammy actor but when you're a good actor and you have to act in a way that is the opposite of your skill set - a bit like Les Dawson playing the piano out of tune when he was actually an accomplished pianist - is shows how versatile actors like Jo are.

Gwen Murray plays Christa D'Amato. A faded soap-star who is always bringing up her television past. Christa plays Mrs. Puttock, the house maid in "Murder at Priorswell Manor". From Gwen's first appearance as Christa I just knew that I would love this character, and I did. We find out that a secret past has been uncovered by Renee, so there we have a motive for murder, but wasn't Christa on stage when Renee was killed? There are some gorgeous bitchy volleys between Christa and Renee, so we know that there's no love lost between this pair.

Mik Horvath is Tim Fermor, a jobbing actor who covers his limited acting skills by constantly quoting Equity rules regarding breaks. He plays Major Rodney Pirbright. One of a few running gags in this play is the constantly malfunctioning gun which also keeps disappearing. The award-winning Mr Horvath also puts in a crowd-pleasing comedy scene which involves a change in his voice! Mik is also the Production Manager for the play "Murder In Play", with Nikky Rowe as Production Team.

Megan Russell plays Pat Smith, the overworked, put-upon stage manager who acts as the Boris's dogsbody. I love how this part highlights how in demand the stage manager in any stage production is, and especially with a closet that seems to have an acting role of its' own, with Harrison as its' co-star. Due to the Director's re-writes Pat has to swap roles for one that she is not too comfortable with.

Sophie Lawton, a highly talented but underappreciated actress who is frustratingly typecast into minor roles like the maid, Triggs, is played Abbie Evans. I had difficulty working out if Abbie was just really enjoying her role and the play, as she looked so fantastically entertained by the action at Priorswell Manor, if that was how Triggs was supposed to react within the play. Either way, it was a joy to watch this fun character.

Nick Mothershaw plays Mr Papadopoulos, who plays Harrison Bracewell. A faded, alcoholic Shakespearean actor who prefers quoting his glory days to learning his lines. The cast and Director would have preferred to have listened to his lines performed correctly than his golden days memoirs, and made that fact very clear to him. His relationship with the closet is very comical, as is Bracewell's wig and accents, plus there's a couple of memorable (probably for all the wrong reasons) death scenes!

Every time I have the pleasure of seeing Belper Players plays, one thing that always comes over really strongly is just how much the cast gel so well, which always goes to produce a chemistry packed production.

Co-Directed by Patricia Church and Louisa Jenkins, they have bought out every ounce of comedy in the script, creating a beautifully paced, almost farce style comedy play which also highlights some of the best, and worst elements within local theatre, as well as showing the pressures that people in local theatre have to abide to. One of the songs played in the interval was Queen's "Under Pressure" which I allowed myself a wry smile, as well as other ironic Queen classics like "Another One Bites The Dust", "Love Of My Life" and "The Show Must Go On".

The play within a play, play also has a programme within the main programme, just so that any confusion can be resolved for the discerning programme reader and collector.

Set Designer is Nick Mothershaw, who also constructed the set. As usual, the set is wonderfully intricate and is worth getting in early just to have a good old perusal, as it's worth your admiration.

Sound and lighting design and operation is by Josh Hall and Sound Operator is Maisie Wiggin. Both areas cued and timed with excellence.

Costumes are by Shena Lawrence and Patricia Church and all look wonderful. Lovely period costumes for all the actors and actresses and the actors and actresses of the actors and actresses.

The props were all provided by the cast and crew.

I also must mention the Front Of House, as I like to do with every theatre group, when I remember, who made sure that everyone was catered for and seated where they should be and ran the bar, sold programmes and ran the raffle, as well as providing information about the Belper Players and anything else that was asked of them. So welcoming.

I mentioned that this year is Belper Players 90^th Anniversary and to celebrate this milestone there are books mapping the 90 year history of Belper Players, which make for a fascinating browse.

"Murder In Play" is at Strutts Centre, Belper until Saturday 6 June and another production that should rate highly in the upcoming Eagle and Noda awards.