Murder Weapon - Nov 2021

PRESENTS

by BRIAN CLEMENS

Wednesday 10th November – Saturday 13th November 2021 7.30pm (Doors open 7pm) Cheriton Village Hall SO24 0PZ www.thecheritonplayers.org.uk

Murder Weapon

by Brian Clemens Wed 10th – Sat 13th November 2021

Thrilled to support The Cheriton Players’ produc tion of

Producer’s Note It’s so good to be back live onstage performing for you, our loyal audiences, for the first time in two years! Many of you will know that we had originally intended to perform Murder Weapon 18 months ago, but the pandemic sadly put paid to that.

Our last live performance was Diamonds are for Trevor, but Cheriton Players have, like so many others, become adept using Zoom for several interactive playreadings, quizzes and even a Zoom murder mystery for the audience to solve. However, none of that gives us the same buzz as we all feel when we get the immediate reactions from a live audience.

Murder Weapon is the Players’ first thriller for several years and enjoys several other ‘first’” too: Angela Ledsham’s first venture into the Director’s chair and the first time Bernie Lomas and Jim Glaister have trodden the boards at Cheriton, although both are experienced performers elsewhere and Jim was mastermind of the film sequences that were so integral to Diamonds are for Trevor. As Producer I’m delighted (and relieved) that almost all the original cast and crew were available to take part this year, so it’s also great to welcome back Helena Gomm, Paul Wilcox, Tim Conway, Paul McTaggart and Glynn Williams onstage and Adrian Seale as Stage Manager.

For this our first ‘live’ production since before the pandemic, we have reduced the number of seats for each performance, so there may be just a little more space around you than usual; hand sanitiser is available, and we encourage you to wear face coverings if you feel more comfortable doing so.

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We hope you enjoy being back with us for Murder Weapon as much as the cast and crew have enjoyed getting together for rehearsals, and that you will come back and join us here in Cheriton Village Hall on 3rd December 2021 from 7pm for our pre-Christmas event, a play reading of Oscar Wilde’s popular Lady Windermere’s Fan. Tickets are £5 on the door to include a glass of wine and mince pie!

Jan Conway

Cheriton, Nr. Alresford, Hampshire. SO24 0PX Telephone: Bramdean 01962 771 251

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From the Director Although I have been involved with Cheriton Players for 20 years this is my first time as a director – I am usually backstage. I am a great fan of murder mysteries and always try to work out who the villain of the piece is before the end, so it seemed an obvious choice to choose a thriller and as Murder Weapon has a small cast it did not seem too daunting to put on.

It was with some trepidation on my part, though, that rehearsals began.

When the COVID 19 pandemic arrived, I thought that fate was telling me that I should stay backstage. A little part of me was relieved but also disappointed when we had to stop everything. However, fate decided to give me a second chance and rehearsals began again in September albeit with small changes to some of the actions due to Covid 19– the cast also remembered most of the moves from before, so it was not quite starting again. I am grateful that all the actors still wanted to work with me and send them my thanks. I am also grateful for the guiding hand of Jan Conway, the producer.

Murder Weapon is a murder mystery/thriller with a difference written by Brian Clemens, famous for The Avengers TV series. One weekend two friends return to Dysart Hall from an evening out, where they find a dead body on the floor and seemingly the murderer holding the gun.

I hope you enjoy the play as much as I have enjoyed directing it.

The Cast (in order of appearance): Jessica Bligh Inspector Fremont Constable Walters Charley Mirren Hugo Diane Paul

Helena Gomm Paul Willcox Paul McTaggart Tim Conway Jim Glaister Bernie Lomas Glynn Williams

Backstage Director Producer Stage Manager Lighting/Sound Costumes/Props Prompt Set Design Set Construction Set Decoration Front of House Publicity/Marketing Poster/Programme design Show photography Prop Hire

Angela Ledsham Jan Conway Adrian Seale Jamie Herdman, Graham Arnott Jan Conway and Cast (tba) Paul Hellard, Angela Ledsham Paul Hellard, Peter Reay, Dave Wright Retta Hellard Jenny Cridland and Team David Cradduck Ian Lock Craig Robertson (tbc) History in the Making

Angela Ledsham

Cheriton Players is a small friendly theatre group always keen to encourage new members to join us onstage, backstage and front of house. If you are interested in joining the Players, please get in touch through the website www.thecheritonplayers.org.uk or by email to thecheritonplayers@gmail.com You can also join our mailing list through the website to receive our regular newsletters and details of future productions. We would love to hear from you!

There will be an interval of 20 minutes between Act 1 and Act 2 during which refreshments will be served Warning: gunshots will be fired during the performance.

Please refrain from taking flash photography and turn off all mobile phones. In the interests of safety, and access for performers and FoH staff, please keep aisles and walkways clear.

Helena has played various roles for Cheriton Players over the years and has also directed several productions, including Cash on Delivery and Diamonds are for Trevor, a spoof Bond movie combined with a stage show which she also rewrote the entire script for.

She is also a member of West Meon Theatre, where she has directed Neville’s Island and The 39 Steps, and she recently played Mistress Quickly in The Merry Wives of Windsor, West Meon’s recent outdoor production. She is now working on a sequel to Diamonds are for Trevor which it is hoped to film and stage next year.

Paul Willcox (Inspector Fremont) This is Paul’s first major role for Cheriton although an appearance on stage as a security guard in the much acclaimed Diamonds are for Trevor was technically his first time acting with the players. Paul started his acting with West Meon Theatre many years ago firstly in When We Are Married, appearing in many productions since including Toad of Toad Hall, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Stepping Out, The Pirates of Penzance, Neville’s Island and Night of January 16th.

Paul has directed all West Meon’s pantos and is currently secretary, box office and webmaster for the theatre group. In addition Paul has performed in panto for Windmill Players in Clanfield. Paul’s ‘dramatic’ life style has also included supporting youth theatre, lighting and sound, props, stage management and construction.

Paul McTaggart (Constable Walters) Paul is a keen member of Cheriton Players having joined a few years ago to help backstage for Blithe Spirit and ‘got the bug’ for all things theatrical. His roles have in the past included Stage Manager, Assistant Stage Manager and Props Manager. Paul has also appeared on television programmes such as BBC World’s Greatest Palaces as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, a gangland member in The Kray Twins for Channel and a police detective in another ITV drama, as well as appearances in two major films.

On stage at Cheriton, Paul played Big Job and Burly Chassey in the recent Diamonds are for Trevor and has appeared in many other shows such as Cash on Delivery, Alice and The Game’s Afoot and is also a regular performer with TOADS and ACTS. Paul is also keen film cameraman and has been responsible for many of the promotional videos published to promote Cheriton Players shows.

Jim Glaister (Hugo) Jim is an actor, director, writer, filmmaker, songwriter and drummer.

He is a member of Chesil Theatre, with memorable roles there including Roland Maule in Present Laughter, Athos in The Three Musketeers, Eddie in Season’s Greetings, three roles in Jane Austen’s Persuasion, the much put-upon horse Albert in The Wind in the Willows, and the highly unpleasant Howard in For Services Rendered. He occasionally makes short films under the banner Burning Barn Films and is a member of local band Hornblower Down. Jim’s involvement with the Cheriton Players began with 2018’s Fallen Angels, when Jim was asked to make a short 1920s-style silent film featuring two characters from the play getting up to shenanigans on a golf course. This led to him making the film sequences for 2019’s ambitious multi-media Bond spoof Diamonds Are For Trevor, for which Hornblower Down also recorded versions of various Bond themes. Murder Weapon is Jim’s first appearance on the Cheriton stage and he is enjoying the challenge of playing a character with so many facets to him.

Tim Conway (Charlie Mirren) TIm has appeared in about a dozen productions with the Cheriton Players since joining in 2005. Favourite roles of his include Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol, Sir Percy Shorter in Alan Bennett’s Habeous Corpus, the Rev. James Martin in Clerical Errors and the evil Julian in Alan Ayckbourn’s Communicating Doors. A saint and a sinner, a vicar and a villain. So where in the moral morass might his latest role in Murder Weapon swim?

Bernie Lomas (Diane) Bernie is from Cape Town, South Africa and is excited to be doing her first show with The Cheriton Players. She studied audio engineering and worked as a conference manager for over 10 years before emigrating to England in 2016. She was an actress and musician in her youth but only picked it up again recently, performing on stage for the first time in her adult years in West Meon Theatre’s Daisy Pulls it Off, shortly before lockdown. In July this year she performed in their production of Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor, playing the Hostess of the Garter (originally a male role) and was cast as a ‘naughty fairy’ for Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe in August, performed in Haslemere Hall by Imagine That Productions. Bernie is a married mother to three boys and three dogs, and when she is not spending time in her little music room she enjoys photography, reading, writing and talking to the wild birds and animals around her home.

Glynn Williams (Paul) Glynn has appeared in a variety of Cheriton plays over the years, including Freddie in My Fair Lady, Tony in She Stoops to Conquer, George Pigden in Out of Order, the March Hare in the Players’ 50th Anniversary production Alice (his son, Alex, was the Dormouse).

His most recent Cheriton appearance was in Cash on Delivery in 2016. He has appeared in various West Meon Theatre productions including Cider with Rosie, Neville’s Island, A Child’s Christmas in Wales, Daisy Pulls it Off and, this summer, Merry Wives of Windsor, in which son Alex and daughter Livvy were also in the cast. He has also appeared in various productions with Lion & Unicorn Players. When he is not acting, Glynn enjoys writing, producing and performing music.

BIOGRAPHIES

BIOGRAPHIES

Helena Gomm (Jessica Bligh)

Past Productions

Past Productions

An Unexpected Fate at The Fête

I’ll Get My Man

June 2021

Doctor Doctor/The Dominatrix Solution

Music Hall

March 2021

Let Nothing You Dismay

December 2020

Laughter in the Dark

Hologram

November 2020

Salad Days

Mystery Shopper

September 2020

Jack Diamonds Are For Trevor

August 2020 November 2019

A Very International Variety Show Fallen Angels

April 2019 November 2018

The Browning Version/A Matter of Taste

June 2018

Communicating Doors

April 2018

The Game’s Afoot

November 2017

Young Jane

September 2017

(Another) Murder in Cheriton!

June 2017

The Even Greater Cheriton Variety Show Cash on Delivery A Month of Sundays Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime

April 2017

November 2016 March 2016 November 2015

Third Week in August

June 2015

The Great Cheriton Variety Show

April 2015

Oh Clarence!

An Inspector Calls A Bolt from the Blue

May 2014 December 2013 April 2013

Season’s Greetings

November 2012

Murdered to Death

May 2012

Clerical Errors Alice Blithe Spirit Don’t Dress For Dinner

November 2011 June 2011 November 2010 April 2010

DIAMONDS ARE FOR TREVOR, NOVEMBER 2019

The Noble Spaniard Jungle Fantasy

November 2004 May 2004

The Real Inspector Hound & Black Comedy Oliver!

Don’t Utter a Note Forty – Not Out! Murder in Play Confusions An Evening’s Entertainment

November 2003 January 2003 May 2002 December 2001 March 2001 November 2000 March 2000

Move over Mrs Markham

November 1999

Party Piece

November 1998

After the Ball is Over And then there were None Cat on the Fiddle Love’s a Luxury She Stoops to Conquer Key for Two ‘Bless ’em All’

April 1998 November 1997 April 1997 November 1996 April 1996 November 1995 May 1995

Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime

November 1994

Pardon Me, Prime Minister

April 1994

Variety Music Hall Murder in Company

November 1993 April 1993

December 1986 April 1986

The Proof of the Poison

December 1985

Gala Music Hall

September 1985

Charley’s Aunt Music Hall Small Hotel Beyond a Joke Music Hall Play On! Present Laughter Old Time Music Hall And So To Bed Here We Come Gathering Music Hall

May 1985 February 1985 November 1984

May 1983 February 1983 November 1982 April 1982 February 1982

Pride and Prejudice

May 1981

Fish Out of Water Music Hall A Friend Indeed Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime Music Hall Jam Tomorrow White Sheep of the Family Old Time Music Hall

Jan/Feb 1981 November 1981 May 1980 February 1980 November 1979 April 1979 January 1979 November 1978 April 1978 Jan/Feb 1978

Worzel Gummidge

Ten Times Table

April/May 2009

Outside Edge

April 1992

Running Riot

May 1977

The Ghost Train

November 2008

My Fair Lady

November 1991

Jubilee Revue

January 1977

Habeas Corpus ’Allo ’Allo Murder in Cheriton!

The Champion of Paribanou Parallel Lines Table Manners A Christmas Carol Out of Order Idol Talent

April 2008 November 2007 May 2007 January 2007 November 2006 April 2006 December 2005 April 2005 January 2005

Two One-Act Plays Lock up Your Daughters Haul for the Shore Best of Old Time Music Hall Tons of Money The Late Mr. Larrington Merry Christmas Music Hall Man Alive The Wind in the Willows

April 1991 November 1990 May 1990 February 1990 November 1989 April 1989 December 1988 April 1988 December 1987

Love Birds

Your Obedient Servant Person Unknown Old Time Music Hall The Importance of Being Earnest Wolf’s Clothing Old Time Music Hall Love’s a Luxury Sailor Beware Old Time Music Hall

April 1973

Old Time Music Hall

January 1973

Who Lies There

November 1983

November 1977

November 1976 April 1976 January 1976 November 1975 April 1975 Jan/Feb 1975 November 1974 April 1974 January 1974

November 1973

Doctor in the House Quiet Weekend

November 1981

The Full Treatment

See How They Run

May 1984

Book of the Month Music Hall

OLD TIME MUSIC HALL, 1985

February 1984

December 2009

Together4Christmas

November 1992

May 1987 Jan/Feb 1987

Old Time Music Hall Pools Paradise Something to Hide Old Time Music Hall Beside the Seaside Trap for a Lonely Man

November 1972 April 1972 January 1972 November 1971 April 1971 January 1971 November 1970 February 1970

Man Alive

November 1969

Busybody

May 1969

Sleeping Partnership Dear Delinquent Goodnight, Mrs Puffin A Pig in a Poke Wanted One Bod

February 1969 November 1968 May 1968 February 1968 November 1967

Still Life & Speaking Terms

July 1967

Flat Spin

May 1967

The Happiest Days of Your Life

February 1967

See How They Run

October 1966

The Bride and the Batchelor

April 1966

Breath of Spring

November 1965

Blithe Spirit

November 1964

Pools Paradise

May 1964

One Man Banned

November 1963

Haul for the Shore

November 1962

Friends and Neighbours Here We Come Gathering

March 1962 November 1961

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