On 8th November, 2023, I went to see the play, Murder in the Dark, by acclaimed writer, Torben Betts, at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham.
Former pop star, Danny Sierra (former Holby City star, Tom Chambers), and his girlfriend, Sarah (Laura White, who played Princess in Doctors), arrive at a remote farmhouse, on a snowy New Year's Eve, following a car crash. They are soon joined by Danny's brother, William (Owen Oakshott), ex-wife, Rebecca (Rebecca Charles), and adult son, Jake (Jonny Green). The air is somewhat tense, as the family have just returned from a funeral, and alcoholic, Danny, is desperately craving a drink.
The elderly, and rather eccentric, owner of the house, Mrs Bateman (Susie Blake), offers to put them up for the night, as the roads are inpassable with snow, and there are no trains running. The nearest village is 20 miles away, and there is no phone signal. The electrics in the house frequently play up, which adds to the atmosphere. Rumour has it, that the witch-like, Mrs Bateman, murdered her husband, by poisoning his mushroom soup.
On visiting the outside loo, Jake is shocked to see a young woman, dressed as a ballerina, sitting there. Danny goes to investigate, but doesn't find anything.
Act One ends with Mrs Bateman offering to make the family some mushroom soup. As she leaves them alone, the electrics flash again, and Danny gets the shock of his life, letting out a blood curdling scream.
Act Two completely unravelled what the audience had believed to be true in Act One. Nothing was what it originally had seemed to be, and dark and terrible secrets were then revealed.
All of the cast played their roles very convincingly, and there was a welcome sprinkling of humour
Overall, I thought it was a good play, and I enjoyed it, but, personally, during Act 2, I was somewhat confused.
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