• Support Wokingham Today
  • Get the print edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter
Monday, June 16, 2025
Wokingham.Today
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • All
    • Arborfield
    • Barkham
    • Beech Hill
    • Binfield
    • Bracknell
    • Charvil
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
    • Emmbrook
    • Finchampstead
    • Grazeley
    • Henley
    • Hurst
    • Lower Earley
    • Norreys
    • Reading
    • Remenham
    • Riseley
    • Shinfield
    • Sindlesham
    • Sonning
    • Spencers Wood
    • Swallowfield
    • Three Mile Cross
    • Twyford
    • Wargrave
    • Winnersh
    • Wokingham
    • Wokingham Without
    • Woodley
    • Woosehill
    • Yateley
    RDDA

    Come and meet the fishing stars at the Reading & District Angling Association open day

    The unit in Anglo Industrial Park off Fishponds Road. Pic: WBC.

    Committee to decide new brewery application

    Pippa, 20-years-old, is fronting the campaign.

    Poster girl Pippa fronts adoption campaign

    Find out more about the alternatives to driving. Pic: Stewart Turkington.

    Make a difference on Clean Air Day

    Car park Picture: Pixabay

    Government commends council for tackling parking problems in Bracknell Forest

    Cianna's Smile

    The Oracle Reading partners with Cianna’s Smile to mark World Sickle Cell Awareness Day

    Raver Tots

    Raver Tots is back in Reading: Featuring Headliners So Solid Crew, Artful Dodger and General Levy

    Superman Picture: Vue

    Tickets on sale for exclusive Superman screening at Vue Reading

    Police

    Woman’s house set on fire in Bracknell as police appeal for witnesses

  • SPORT
    • All
    • Binfield FC
    • Reading FC
    RDDA

    Come and meet the fishing stars at the Reading & District Angling Association open day

    Rob Couhig

    Reading FC chairman Rob Couhig on Dai Yongge, Reading fans, Noel Hunt, Joe Jacobson and more

    Woodley Schools Football Tournament

    Former Reading FC winger is guest of honour at Woodley Carnival Schools Football Tournament

    Amadou Mbengue

    Championship clubs circle to sign Reading FC defender Amadou Mbengue

    Reading FC

    Reading FC appoint new goalkeeper coach

    Yakou Meite

    Reading FC fans favourite released by Cardiff City

    Noise and floodlighting would impact the location, it was argued. Pic: Andrew Batt.

    Earley sports pitch plans in the floodlight

    Berkshire Football awards.

    Football in Berkshire shortlist revealed

    Chem Campbell

    Reading FC miss out on transfer target to fellow League One club

  • READING FC
  • COMMUNITY
    The unit in Anglo Industrial Park off Fishponds Road. Pic: WBC.

    Committee to decide new brewery application

    Pippa, 20-years-old, is fronting the campaign.

    Poster girl Pippa fronts adoption campaign

    Find out more about the alternatives to driving. Pic: Stewart Turkington.

    Make a difference on Clean Air Day

    Cianna's Smile

    The Oracle Reading partners with Cianna’s Smile to mark World Sickle Cell Awareness Day

    Wokingham Borough Council is considering introducing charges to the car park next to the Berkshire Museum of Aviation Picture: Phil Creighton

    New car park charges for Aviation museum

    Action after "speeding" on part of Reading Road in Woodley.

    Listening to speeding concerns

    Phone fines for drivers on the rise

    The citizenship ceremony is the final step to becoming a British citizen.

    Celebrating new citizens

    The specialist school was meant to be funded through the government?s Safety Valve scheme.

    Clarity sought for Crowthorne school

  • LIFESTYLE
    • All
    • Food
    • Health
    • Obituaries
    • People
    The unit in Anglo Industrial Park off Fishponds Road. Pic: WBC.

    Committee to decide new brewery application

    Pippa, 20-years-old, is fronting the campaign.

    Poster girl Pippa fronts adoption campaign

    Find out more about the alternatives to driving. Pic: Stewart Turkington.

    Make a difference on Clean Air Day

    The citizenship ceremony is the final step to becoming a British citizen.

    Celebrating new citizens

    Members of CLASP enjoyed a week of activities and events for Learning Disability Week, ensuring that they were heard and seen. Picture: CLASP

    CLASP members will be Seen, Heard and Valued in June

    The event is at Dinton Pastures Country Park..

    Celebrating dads with free family fun day

    More than 6,000 people are expected to attend the event.

    Woodley Carnival returns on Saturday

    A new initiative from People Planet Pint members hopes to see Wokingham become a plastic-free zone. Picture: Tanvi Sharma via Unsplash

    Naturally speaking: Hopes for a plastic-free Wokingham

    The summer show is happening on Saturday.

    Vote for your favourites at Twyford summer show

  • WHAT’S ON
    • All
    • Arts
    • Entertainment
    Shaun the Sheep Picture: Pixabay

    Shaun the Sheep flocks to Reading town centre this summer

    The event is at Dinton Pastures Country Park..

    Celebrating dads with free family fun day

    More than 6,000 people are expected to attend the event.

    Woodley Carnival returns on Saturday

    A series of short horror films made by local filmmakers will be shown at Reading's Biscuit Factory on July 17. Picture: Alexander Krivitskiy via Unsplash

    Local filmmakers bring spooky horror shorts to Reading Biscuit Factory

    The summer show is happening on Saturday.

    Vote for your favourites at Twyford summer show

    Steam railways

    Steam specials to depart from Reading in railway’s 200th year

    BWCB, here in rehearsal, will perform a night of movie music in July. Picture BWCB

    Enjoy a film music night for charity

    An afternoon of jazz and afternoon tea will raise funds for The Cowshed in July. Picture: Zeno Aras via Unsplash

    Uplifting July jazz afternoon promises to fizz in Waltham St Lawrence

    The Bucket List Wishes Summer Festival is taking place at Highfield Park, Hook, from 2.30pm-10.30pm on Saturday, July 5.

    Bucket List Wishes Summer Festival to return in July

  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT
No Result
View All Result
Wokingham.Today
No Result
View All Result
Home What's On Arts

REVIEW: Agatha Christie’s “The Unexpected Guest” (The Studio Theatre Company, South Hill Park).

by Michael Beakhouse
December 4, 2018
in Arts, Entertainment, What's On
n
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Stars (out of 5) = 3
  • One-sentence review = “Solid production of a middling Agatha Christie script”
  • Good for people who = Enjoy playing Cluedo at Christmas
  • Not good for people who = Don’t enjoy guessing games
  • Would David Suchet like it? = Probably
Photo courtesy of Livelywood Pictures

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury…

…We are convened to pass judgment on The Studio Theatre’s production of “The Unexpected Guest” (henceforth known as “the defendant”). Specifically, we wish to ascertain whether it is worth your time and money.

Before we deliver our verdict, let us review the facts. The defendant is a lesser-known Agatha Christie play. It’s not held in the same esteem as your “Mousetraps”, “Hollows”, or “Spider’s Webs”. Brian Blessed’s 2018 production at The Mill in Sonning received a blasting from The Stage (“past its prime”).

Photo courtesy of Livelywood Pictures

Witnesses attest that it presents a unique twist on the classic “whodunnit?” plot. A lost personage enters a stately house, discovering a shellshocked Laura Warkwick (Catherine Hazell) standing over the bullet-strewn corpse of husband Richard (Dan Deville), gun in hand. We appear to know the “who” from the first. What, then, is left to sustain our interest? Will the prosecution please step forward…

Photo courtesy of Livelywood Pictures

The case against the defendant.

I found it hard to enjoy the first act of the script. With the identity of the murderer seemingly revealed from the start, the following hour became an extended search for a plausible patsy on whom the murder could be pinned. Unfortunately it was difficult to sympathise with Laura – despite having suffered greatly at the hands of the deceased, her quest to evade justice leads to an attempt to pin the murder on an equally undeserving person. A problem with the script rather than the production, to be fair, but not one that made for (initially) sympathetic characters.

Related posts

REVIEW: “Three Hens In A Boat” at The Watermill Theatre

Musicals, plays and premieres – it’s all coming to Theatre Royal Windsor

Photo courtesy of Livelywood Pictures

While this could’ve generated a fascinating exploration of how far one should/could go to protect an abused woman, the production’s trappings and program are from the start at pains to remind us that every member of the cast could be a potential killer. Consequently the first act (for me) became rather negligible, as did the end-of-act revelation that all may not be what it seems.

But perhaps I’m just grouchy because I lost half of my muffin underneath the seats. Prosecution rests.

 The case for the defendant.

The defence submits several pieces of evidence that justify spending £14 on this play (not the least of which is the chance to find and consume my muffin).

Photo courtesy of Livelywood Pictures

Exhibit A: Unfortunately I’ve been sworn to secrecy regarding the best part of the show. Agatha might not approve, but the magic spell cast by director David Stacey raised some brilliant questions about gender politics, and produced the sort of small-scale, high-impact emotionally atmospheric ending that only intimate productions like this can nail. Honestly: if you think you know the play, or that you’ve seen everything Agatha has to offer – you don’t, and you haven’t. But you’ll have to watch it for yourself to see what I mean.

Photo courtesy of Livelywood Pictures

Exhibit B: Once we hit the second act, we’re in full Murder Mystery swing. Every character becomes a suspect, nothing is what it seems, and I had great fun trying to puzzle things out (enhanced greatly by the production inviting the audience to make their guess during the interval).

Photo courtesy of Livelywood Pictures

Exhibit C: The cast and set are superb. While the numerous characters are tricky to keep track of, there are stand-out performances of the dramatic and hilarious variety throughout – not least in Jess Hadleigh’s Amy (whose strong moral drive provides much of the production’s resonance), Quiller Rees’s Inspector Thomas (a waking dream of physical acting; imagine one of those “drinking bird” toys in a police uniform), and Lesley Richards’s Mrs Warkwick. But the absolute knock-out performance (and my favorite performance of 2018) is Alex Daykin’s Jan Warkwick. Contorting his body like a tortured eel one moment, leaping & bounding with excitement the next, he captivates, beguiles and charms every second he’s on stage…

…and what a stage it is. Lush with period detail, from the warm lighting to the mahogany-paneled walls, beautiful porcelain nativity scene, mocked-up vintage newspapers and ageing Xmas tunes, this is absolutely what one wants at Christmas. Purchase a hot chocolate or glass of port at the interval, and you will be in festive heaven. Defense rests.

Photo courtesy of Livelywood Pictures

 The verdict.

It might not quite match the high standards set by The Studio Theatre Company’s previous Christmas production,  “Dick Barton & The Reindeer Knitting Pattern” (written and directed by the incomparable genius David Wembridge), but this is due solely to the script rather than to its execution; and the production stands as a particular testament to the wonderful skills of David Stacey.

So for anyone desiring a festive murder mystery, or for any fans of Agatha Christie, the jury concludes that you should dust off your magnifying glass and sally forth into the foggy night post-haste…

…and please do let me know if you find that missing piece of muffin.

Tickets are available at: https://www.southhillpark.org.uk/events/the-unexpected-guest/.

Kudos to Dan Deville for spending the majority of the first act as an on-stage corpse (Photo courtesy of Livelywood Pictures)

Keep up to date by signing up for our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people who have requested it.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Tags: agatha christiechristmasSouth Hill Park bracknellTheatre
Previous Post

Herridge praises reaction of match-winner Howell as Binfield battle past Reading City

Next Post

Wokingham pupils enjoy morris dancing lesson

FOLLOW US

POPULAR THIS WEEK

The Arts Society Wokingham looks at the work of Gertrude Jekyll this month. Picture: Sue Whitehead

‘Remember that in a garden we are painting a picture’

June 10, 2025
Party in the Park 2025. Pic by Stewart Turkington.

Rain didn’t dampen party spirits as Elms Field hosts Wokingham’s Party in the Park

June 11, 2025
The Eco Skills Learning Centre at Pudding Lane was launched on Saturday. Pictures: Emma Merchant

New Eco Skills Centre launches in Arborfield

June 12, 2025

MICHAEL TATLOW DARLISON

June 10, 2025
Members of CLASP enjoyed a week of activities and events for Learning Disability Week, ensuring that they were heard and seen. Picture: CLASP

CLASP members will be Seen, Heard and Valued in June

June 14, 2025
Police

Woman’s house set on fire in Bracknell as police appeal for witnesses

June 15, 2025

ABOUT US

Wokingham Today is dedicated to providing news online across the whole of the Borough of Wokingham. It is a Social Enterprise, existing to support the various communities in Wokingham Borough.

Wokingham.Today is a Social Enterprise and aims to ensure that everyone within the Borough has free access to independent and up-to-date news. However, providing this service is not without costs. If you are able to, please make a contribution to support our work.

CONTACT US

[email protected]

Keep up to date with our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people that have subscribed

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

  • Support Us
  • Book Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Get the Print Edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter

The Wokingham Paper Ltd publications are regulated by IPSO – the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
If you have a complaint about a  The Wokingham Paper Ltd  publication in print or online, you should, in the first instance, contact the publication concerned, email: [email protected], or telephone: 0118 327 2662. If it is not resolved to your satisfaction, you should contact IPSO by telephone: 0300 123 2220, or visit its website: www.ipso.co.uk. Members of the public are welcome to contact IPSO at any time if they are not sure how to proceed, or need advice on how to frame a complaint.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • Arborfield
    • Barkham
    • Beech Hill
    • Binfield
    • Bracknell
    • Charvil
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
    • Emmbrook
    • Finchampstead
    • Grazeley
    • Henley
    • Hurst
    • Lower Earley
    • Norreys
    • Reading
    • Remenham
  • COMMUNITY
  • LIFESTYLE
  • SPORT
  • READING FC
  • OBITUARIES
  • WHAT’S ON
  • JOBS
  • PHOTOS
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • CONTACT US
  • WHERE TO GET THE PRINT EDITION
  • SUPPORT US

© 2022 - The Wokingham Paper Ltd - All Right Reserved.