Click here to go back to the list >>

Wednesday 2nd July
Oswestry School Sixth Form Present

"The Real Inpector Hound", PHC, 7.15pm

This one-act play by Tom Stoppard is a ‘whodunnit’ spoof in the style of The Mousetrap and was performed in the PHC on Wednesday 2 July in front of an audience of around 100.  The sixth form cast intentionally played it for laughs and there were many!

Emily Middleton (Moon) and Charles Manford (Birdboot) start off as 2 theatre critics but, bit by bit, get involved in the play they were meant to be watching!  These 2 acted with confidence, Emily especially had a long part to learn and was on stage throughout, taking 2 different roles, as did Charles.

Tristan Hartey (Simon Gascoyne) made a fine leading man, showing different registers in his acting as he moved from besotted lover to philanderer to murder suspect.  His protracted kiss with Lara White (Lady Cynthia Muldoon) was most memorable!  Lara made a stunning femme fatale, playing the role with just the right amount of hauteur.

Nick Jensen (Major Magnus Muldoon) was hugely entertaining as he manoeuvred clumsily about the stage in a wheelchair, bumping into things and almost losing his stick-on moustache several times – rather than detracting from the action this added extra laughs and his role was most accomplished.

Smaller parts were filled by Lucy Belcher (Felicity Cunningham), Chuck Roberts (Inspector Hound AND director) and Katherine Stockdale (radio voice) who all added their talents to the mix.  Last, but by no means least, Abby Jones (Mrs. Drudge) absolutely stole the show as a house-keeper with a pronounced Scottish accent who made the audience roar with laughter every time she appeared on stage.  Her comic timing was excellent and I look forward to seeing more of her talents in the future.  A brilliant performance!

Thanks to the back-stage crew as well: Dani Jones, Brooke Simons-Akwah, Andrew Parker, Katherine Stockdale, Jamie Graham and of course to Chuck Roberts, whose brain-child the whole venture was.    I know he sweated blood over this production but, Chuck, it was SO worth it!

I am sure the rest of the audience would join with me in congratulating this talented and hard-working band of young people for entertaining us so royally – what a pity more weren’t there to see it!

JGM