Focus Birmingham

by Vidar Hjardeng

For fans who enjoy both a good whodunit and at the same time a bit of satire, then Peter Gordon’s ‘Murdered to Death’ (written in 1993 the first in a trilogy) would, in my view, fit the bill! In essence this is an amusing spoof of any one of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple stories. Whilst there is still the identity of a murderer to be uncovered, there is never-the-less, many a comic moment, not least thanks to the appropriately named Inspector Pratt – played with great relish by Norman Pace,

Whilst comedy can often be enjoyed just through the dialogue, much can depend on facial expressions, the subtle (and not so subtle) actions of characters and, of course, the timing. Consequently, with a play of this type, this visually impaired patron found the audio description indispensable. On this occasion Pat Hayes provided the ‘live’ commentary at the Wolverhampton Grand, beginning with the pre-show notes 15 minutes before curtain-up, in which she described the 10 characters and their costumes as well as the single set of play – the main living room of Bagshott Hall, a 1930’s country house.

For those able to arrive at the theatre in time for the 6.30 pm touch tour, Pat and the theatre’s Access Officer, Janine Graeme, took VI patrons and their companions (including a guide dog), onto the stage for a tour of the set where they were also able to literally get a feel for some of the props, including an axe used for cutting wood, a couple of guns and a heavy log which was skilfully thrown onto the fire by Victor Spinetti as the not-so-loyal butler Bunting .. this heavy ‘log’, surprisingly, turned out to be a very light, realistically painted piece of foam!

After the touch tour, Janine ensured that each VI patron collected his/her headset, in return for the standard £2.00 deposit, before showing them to their seats. During the ’live’ introductory notes, Janine also checked that all the headsets were in working order, and she was on hand during the interval, as well at the end of the production, to make sure that everyone was getting the most out of their audio description experience.

The next audio described show at the Grand will be the musical Thriller on the afternoon of Saturday 2 October, and information on concessionary tickets, the touch tour and how to book headsets can be obtained from the box office on 01902 429212.