Merchistoun Hall

With the open dress rehearsal to the Trustees on the Friday night  Merchistoun Youth Arts’ Footlights were given a taster of the impending opening night nerves! A Tomb with a view by Norman Robbins was deemed a great success of short-sighted Romans, family solicitors, extrinsic scientists and dodgy dealings! Footlights entertained a full house on the opening Saturday night with the tales of the tomb family’s missing millions! And an equally as entertained audience on the Sunday evening with the story of their late father’s will reading.

Callan Riches gave a sterling performance as Peregrine Potter who as if by magic later after the car had conveniently ended up in the Tomb’s family lake re appeared looking suspiciously like a certain other Mr Potter!  That was once he was allowed to get dressed after one of the Tomb sister’s Monica played by Beck Davey finally let him! The mad scientist and head of the Tomb household Lucien played by Danny Burke showed the true neurotic scientist who felt the best way to deal with issues was to write to the Prime minister! Poor old Lucien lost his head literally! Of course not forgetting Agatha Hammond the trustworthy house keeper played by Jen Morris who was convinced the old man was not dead and was playing nasty games! Unfortunately met her unexpected end with a meat axe!

Doug Correa played Marcus Tomb who was convinced he was Ceaser and spent most of the evening dressed in a toga whilst Nurse Franklin played by Kris Woodthorpe tried to sway the visitors to the mansion that he was not mad merely disturbed! Vicky Legge as Emily Tomb the comical bitchy sister excelled with on stage banter with the rest of the Tomb clan!  Dora Tomb played by Hannah Gorman secretly weaving her magic with her ‘home-made’ wine that had seen off many a visitor ended up dead too! Then of course not to forget Mr Penworthy the family solicitor played by Tom Robson who after telling the Tomb’s of their ‘mis’ fortune was indeed too murdered, obviously he played his part far too well!

The twist to the plot relieved that in fact the mysterious Miss Ash aka Freda Mountjoy played by Alice Robson was not in fact the famously novelist the Tomb family thought she was! Her very convincing assistant Peregrine Potter was in fact the novelist but having been cleverly worked out by the evil Nurse Franklin who herself ended up being killed after admitting to murdering the others rounded off an excellent weekend of theatre!