Last month the North Manchester Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society (NMAODs) presented Death on the Queen Mary – written and directed by Vanessa Randall – and here Society member Stephen Chandler gives an account of the action.
By 7.15 we have a full house which makes this one of the most, if not the most, successful murder mystery that we’ve put on.
As the captain’s voice (David Swift) booms out to begin the play the audience goes quiet and we set sail upon our adventure. The cast are all awaiting their turn to enter and as they do the laughter rings out.
The play is about five murders on the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary, a 1936 luxury liner, full to bursting with the rich and famous and some not so wealthy or famous; in fact a few with criminal intent. The first act closes and there’s a pause while everybody enjoys dinner. As the audience are also passengers they get to dine on the Queen Mary too and get chance to quiz the cast for clues on who the murderer might be.
Act Two and the mystery deepens. Who’s the murderer? Who’s the thief? And what little fiddles are the crew up to? Act Three and the revelations come thick and fast as Miss Jane Marple (Stella O’Reilly) does her sleuthing, and eventually the murderer and thieves are unmasked.
After the applause and great show of appreciation from the audience they then get the chance to see if they were correct in their ideas on the culprits. The winners are announced and prizes issued.
Interested in getting involved? Auditions are coming up for Roald Dahl’s The Witches. Check out the NMAODs Facebook page for all the latest.