Death by Design

Murder on the menu in English country manor

A figure lies dozing on a settee in the darkened drawing room of an English country manor. Shadowy shapes flit across the scene. There’s the glint of a knife blade by moonlight, the ominous stretching of a scarf, a menacing flex of strong fingers. A trembling hand raises a gun, and a shot rings out. This is the scene at the end of the first act in Prince Edward Community Theatre’s (PECT) production of Rob Urbinati’s comedic Death By Design. The play is set in 1932 in the living room of a country manor owned by playwright Edward Bennett and his wife and muse, Sorel. Edward is anticipating a quiet weekend to recover from a disastrous opening night, not knowing that Sorel has invited a paramour to soothe her bruised ego. Soon the house is filled with a motley collection of guests, and Urbinati melds the satirical wit of Noel Coward with the trappings of an Agatha Christie murder mystery to create a tantalizing whodunit.

Walter Pearce (played by Lewis Frape) begins his seduction of a willing Sorel Bennett (Penny Kitchen).

This play is the final production of PECT’s 2018/2019 season, and is the first musical in its eleven-year history. The play was chosen by PECT’s reading committee, and they asked Philip Knox to be the director. Knox discovered there were two versions of the play, with one of them featuring a musical component and he opted to direct that one. The play has a cast of eight, which is quite large for a PECT production, but Knox had no difficulty finding people to fill the roles. There is a wealth of acting and singing talent in the County, as well as people willing to try a new venture, and it is this mix of experiences that keeps Knox drawn to community theatre. “It’s an exciting thing for me as a director to work with people and give them ideas and build their confidence up to try something different,” he said. “I really enjoy the aspect of people that have very little experience working along with people that have a lot of experience, because you see them learn and grow and pick up ideas from each other.”

Patricia Asselin is a novice actor, and was encouraged to take part in the play by her boyfriend, who is a veteran actor. “It’s nerveracking, but I’m excited though,” she said. “It’s outside my comfort zone, and it’s a bit intimidating because you’re on stage with really good actors. I’m just learning, so I have to remind myself to play to the crowd and to present my lines the way they should be. I envision myself as that person and the trials and tribulations she is going through.” She can draw on some real life experience to play her character. Asselin is very near-sighted, as is her character, who spends most of her time on stage without her glasses. “I get the squinting and not being able to see. I relate to that 100 per cent.”

Chauffeur Jack (Pat Larkin) tells playwright Edward Bennett (Barrie Atkinson) about some of his romantic assignations during a scene from Death By Design.

Veteran actor Lewis Frape plays a small but central role in the play, and he prepared himself for his role by studying the speech and mannerisms of Neville Chamberlain, a British politician of that era. He plays a recently elected politician who has visions of making England great again, but is more interested in the art of seduction than in the art of the deal. Frape is a big proponent of community theatre. “It’s fun. It’s very demanding, but we like to do things that are demanding, if it’s something we love. And I love theatre in all its forms,” he said.

Although the play is set in a bygone era, Knox believes it is still relevant for today’s audience, in that the sense of interplay between the characters is timeless. “There’s excellent dialogue the playwright has put in there. The relationships that are happening in the play are similar to the relationships that are happening today,” he said. “There’s also the visual stuff that myself and the actors have put in so we can give someone a giggle. It’s been a long, cold winter in the County and I’m really hoping people will come out and have a good laugh and forget about the world for a while and have a good time at the theatre.”

Death by Design opens at Mt. Tabor on Saturday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. The show will also be on stage Friday, May 24 and Saturday, May 25 at 7:30 p.m. Two special Sunday matinee’s are scheduled at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 19 and Sunday, May 26. Tickets are available at Side- Street Gallery, Books & Company, and by contacting Bonnie at saveallbonnie@gmail.com