Summer at the Devonshire Park Theatre officially starts with the Dead Funny Season; three-weeks of plays which opens with The Devil at Midnight (3rd – 7th June), followed by chaotic comedy Shady Business (10th – 14th June) and Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced (17th – 21st June) completing the trio of treats.
Psychological thriller The Devil at Midnight by Avengers writer Brian Clemens OBE, will be sure to keep audiences guessing right up until the final nerve jangling climax. Starring Andrew Paul (The Bill, Where the Heart Is) and Corrinne Wicks (Emmerdale, Doctors) this startling, gripping play follows a disturbed young woman, haunted by visions in her sleep; but are these just dreams or symptoms of something much more haunting? This is a powerful and claustrophobic tale, punctuated with dark humour that leads the audience to a shattering and unexpected conclusion.
Shady Business brings a lighter note to the season; this fast-paced comedy from the author of Don’t Dress for Dinner Robin Hawdon, stars Scott Wright (Coronation Street) and David Callister (The Bill). Set in the glamorous (or otherwise) setting of a Soho nightclub we meet struggling dancers Mandy and Tania, whose lives are about to be turned upside down!
With an assembled troupe of larger-than-life characters ranging from the possessive night club owner (and Mandy’s boyfriend) Big Mack, his hired associates Dozer and Harry, the hapless Terry and the frankly bewildered Gerry. Identities will become confused, the situations will become ludicrous and just don’t mention that there’s money missing from the till… which has been lost on the roulette table!
An Agatha Christie favourite completes the season, A Murder is Announced, starring Eastbourne’s own Louise Jameson (EastEnders) and Jennifer Biddall (Hollyoaks). This is a wonderfully intriguing thriller of mixed motives, concealed identities and features Christie’s heroine of the whodunit, the one and only, Miss Marple.
The Dead Funny Season at the Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne from 3rd – 21st June, with nightly performances at 7.45pm and 2.30pm matinees on Wednesday and Saturday the only mystery you will need to solve, is which show are you going to book for? Of course, you could save yourself the decision and book all three for a very reasonable £17 each! To book call the box office on 01323 412000 or online www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk.
