Who Killed The Soap Star?

It was murder in Riseley Village Hall on Saturday 23^rd January...but unlike most murders, this one had 114 witnesses! Thankfully, it wasn’t real though, and there were no casualties. The witnesses were the lucky audience watching a performance of “Who Killed the Soap Star?” a murder mystery story presented by the “Riseley Community Theatre” (formerly The Riseley Players).

The action took place in “The Black Bull”, on the set of “Ravenscar”, a rather tired and second rate soap opera, based in northern England. After a failed murder attempt in the soap storyline, we were introduced to the members of the cast and production team between ‘takes’ and some nasty grudges and bitter rivalries were soon revealed. When the scene was re-shot in ‘take two’, one of the stars of the show was murdered...but this time, to everyone’s horror, it was for real! The on-set action was brought to an abrupt halt and the police investigation got under way. ..

Act 2 saw Inspector Westcott of Her Majesty’s Metropolitan Police - Northern Division leading the inquiry, ably helped by Carl Clementine, the eccentric “Ravenscar” Props Supervisor (and hindered by Gilly Foreshore, the editor of “Star Spangled” magazine!) There were all sorts of potential motives, mysterious clues and red-herrings to sift through. And we soon learned that there was not just one murder attempt, but two!

All was revealed in Act 3 with the aid of forensic evidence and the audience’s witness statements. But who was murdered? And who killed the Soap Star? Well, the only way to find out is to ask someone who was there!

The sell-out audience were well into the spirit of the occasion with plenty of laughs along the way and even a few boos and hisses for the suspects! They enjoyed a three course meal between acts, to sustain them over their deliberations and by all accounts thoroughly enjoyed their evening.

The Riseley Community Theatre was formed last autumn, under the excellent professional directorship of Julie Laslett, Managing Director of Dramatic Arts Media, based in Wyboston Lakes. The players are all familiar local faces, a mixture of former members and newcomers, some of whom have never acted on stage before, but we were treated to some outstanding performances.

The group  would like to thank all who supported the performance on the night.

We are already planning our next production for June 2010 and meet in the village hall on Wednesday evenings. If you would like to become involved, please contact Amanda or Clive Whittall on 708832. Members of all ages and abilities will be welcome!