7:30pm, 30 October – 1 November 2019, The Reading Room, Ovingham
Miss Marple met Father Ted in this humorous murder mystery by Chris Martin, which Ovingham Drama Group performed in 2019.
The Reverend Martin Peacock is vicar of the church of St. Ignatius the Unflappable in Steeply Willows, and a leading candidate in the race to become the next Bishop of Grimeford and Huntley. But all is not well behind the hand-embroidered curtains of Steeply Willows. Reverend Martin dreams of bigger things, and his single-minded pursuit of fame, status, and the bishopric has created a storm of unrest in the village as he increasingly treads on the toes of people even more self-important than him. And he has a bitter rival: the Reverend Dicky Dark, vicar of St Finbarr the Extremely Patient in Loose Chippings. As a mood of rebellion grows among his flock, Reverend Martin slowly but surely mocks, ridicules, and insults his way to his doom.
Join Detective Inspector Charlton of Scotland Yard and Lilly Heeks, representative of the bishopric, as they untangle a web of schemes and blunders in Steeply Willows. Which two of the characters broke the most sacred of commandments, and what was their motive?
Performance details
The whodunit, with its unexpected ending, was presented by Ovingham Drama Group in three sold-out performances on 30 October, 31 October, and 1 November 2019. In the intermission after Act II, the audience had a chance to guess who the killer and accomplice were. The killer was revealed in Act III, when the play came to its stunning – and hilarious – conclusion.
As with many of our murder mysteries, the performance was accompanied by a pie-and-peas supper, served during the intermission following the end of Act I. Tickets cost £10 each, including a pie-and-peas supper, or £5 without the supper if you’d prefer to bring your own food.