The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society Murder Mystery

Product Information

It was the heavy-handed arrest of 20-year-old Leroy Alphonse Cooper on July 3 that sparked the Toxteth riots. His detention led to a brief disturbance that left three officers injured, but instead of fading away, the trouble escalated over the days that followed. The crowds were eventually dispersed with the use of CS gas – the first time such a tactic had been used in Great Britain. West Midlands Labour Party accused the police of 'provocative action', particularly with regards to the deployment of the Special Patrol Group, which was used to chase away looters in Wolverhampton. But West Midlands Chief Constable Sir Philip Knight defended his actions, saying that the toll of the looting and rioting would have been much worse had it not been for the strong relationship between the police and community. Some residents claimed that disturbances in Whitmore Reans came after a police car had been driven ''too close' to pedestrians, causing anger. The Little Swan pub in Horseley Fields was another flashpoint in Wolverhampton Police line up behind riot shields as they run the gauntlet of petrol bombs, bottles and stones in Farndale Avenue, Whitmore Reans Juliana Anderiesz played Thelma, second in command and Mrs R’s implacable rival. She showed great comic timing as she flipped in and out of character. Wonderfully funny moment when she and Murray (as O’Reilly) appeared to get into a loop whilst discussing her former lover, Randolph. Very difficult to achieve and very nicely performed. Cheryl Chamberlain played Felicity. Her gentle character contrasted well with the butch portrayal of Dawn and Colonel King, who she played in insanely rapid succession and with good physical comedy. Particularly loved the moment when she switched on the standard lamp…not really believing that it would work.

This was a very challenging play with a small cast but these formidable ladies did it like no one else! That’s the joke. No nuance or subtlety here. No social consciousness, just women from an estate doing Macbeth really badly. It’s not an especially thoughtful or imaginative premise, and it shows. Jokes wear thin, and a considerable number of dead horses are taking a flogging after about 10 minutes. This is done to preserve the anonymity of the people in that area, as some postcodes cover a very small area, sometimes a single building.

Ratings and reviews

Boxford Drama Group presents Chase Me Up Farndale Avenu, S’il Vous Plait at the Boxford Village Hall on 30th, 31st March and 1st April. As always with the Drama Group, the performers couldn’t be faulted for their enthusiasm and energy, with all the usual plot twists and a small cast of five playing what seems like hundreds of roles, confusion ensued. The tone was set from the start, as the lights failed to go down, the music came in at the wrong time and the set was revealed with doors in the wrong places, and the opening scene being interrupted almost immediately! The initial disintegration of the set was delightful and nicely timed. The pelmet & curtains fell down; a leg came off the chess-table, sending it and the pieces flying, and the fireplace flat collapsed. Lighting and Sound were perfectly co-ordinated. Deliberately mistimed cues peppered the action and Once again, the Boxford Drama Group Ladies turned to the Farndale Avenue series of plays for their Spring production having previously produced two of the side-splitting Farndales, ‘The Haunted Through Lounge’ and ‘Recessed Dining Nook at Farndale Castle’with ‘Chase Me Up Farndale Avenue, S’il Vous Plait,’ which sees the hapless ladies of the Farndale WI attempt a French farce. Moyra Brookes was surely born to play Mrs Reece, the Chairman. The “one or two announcements” that went on forever, the rivalry with Thelma, exasperated asides to lighting & stage management, the succession of characters and the final upstaging of Felicity and everyone else. It was a monstrously fine performance.

The Farndale drama society (BDG) showed just how much an amateur drama group can get wrong in a two act production. An unintelligible plot, a plethora of doors and a grand range of characters made this Farndale offering as bubbly as a glass of champagne. (sic)… Similarly, Adam Woolley’s barely competent stage hand Adrian, with his dry physicality, ineptitude and faithful adherence to health and safety regulations, was a welcome and entertaining presence. His most significant role, however, turned out to be pushing Chloe Petts’ Kate about the stage in a wheelchair – Petts is undoubtedly the funniest member of the cast, flitting deftly between cantankerous OAP and Glasgow bouncer in the roles of 3 rd Witch and Macduff respectively. So convincing was her angry Scots turn that, I doubt anyone would have batted an eyelid. The director, of this production, has faithfully followed the script and its instructions…and it has paid off. The pace was excellent and interactions were well co-ordinated…there was a chair arranging sequence that seemed to take up a whole act. It was impossible to spot any fumbling that hadn’t been The census collection is designed so that each group of postcodes should contain at least 100 people (50 in Scotland).Long before The Play That Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong in which an amateur dramatic society experiences the horrors of what can go wrong right in front of a live audience, the fictional Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society have been resolutely presenting plays in which the scenery collapses, cues are missed, lines are forgotten and sound effects create illusions the director never imagined. The information on housing, people, culture, employment and education that is displayed about Farndale Avenue, Corby, NN17 1LS is based on the last census performed in the UK in 2021.