Kilcullen Diary: Fright Knight is hugely entertaining.

Photos: Noel Clare.

A two-hour play without a script, featuring a cast of at least 25 people, could have been a recipe for disaster, writes Noel Clare. It should at least have been chaotic. Instead, it was two hours of wonderful entertainment from start to finish.

The concept was brilliant. The show begins with what appears to be a properly scripted play, directed by Eileeshe Phillipé, set in a 1930s mob-ruled American city where one seemingly honest law enforcement officer, Mugsy Knight (played by Davey Byrne), does his best against corrupt officials and their associates. We are only minutes into it when one of the characters, a diva called Betty Baronne (played by Siobhan O’Brien), takes a drink, collapses, and dies on stage.

Panic erupts; Siobhan’s death was not part of this particular play, and when her drink is discovered to be a cleaning solution, murder is suspected. The curtain is drawn, and Nessa Dunlea, seemingly having no idea what is happening, tries to reassure the audience. When the curtain reopens, the entire drama group is gathered on stage — cast, background crew, prompters, etc. — all to be questioned as suspects in the recent murder.

Two detectives carry out the investigation — one retired detective, Mick Tracey (played by Fergus Ryan), under instruction from his wife, Vic (Siobhan Murphy), and the other, Mugsy, somehow transported from the 1930s. Throughout the rest of the performance, we witness the questioning of the entire group and become aware of the jealousies among members, the idiosyncrasies of others, and the ‘too good to be true’ marriage of the murdered Siobhan and her husband Gerard. Everyone is a suspect, even the tea ladies, Fiona and Collette, who are thrilled at the opportunity to step onto the stage away from their tea-serving duties in the foyer!

During the interval, we hear from all suspects, and each member of the audience is asked to decide who they think the murderer is and write it down with the provided pen and paper.

Part two begins with further questioning of those higher on the suspect list. Throughout this, none of the cast knows who the murderer is, nor are they aware of the surprise awaiting us: Siobhan has not died — the cleaning solution had been diluted by the eccentric Maurice O’Mahony in an effort to save the group some money and was not strong enough to do the job. Therefore, the murderer failed, and the victim returns to the stage to assist in revealing the suspect. For a time, it seems Collette, another diva, eager to rid herself of Siobhan to take her role, might be the culprit. But in the end, we discover it was Eilis, who had felt totally undervalued for her years of work within the group. Only three people in the packed theatre correctly guessed the murderer. The most suspected was Siobhan’s understudy, the very shy and nervous — or was she? — Esther Reddy, who never had her moment on stage.

Considering the large cast, the production worked remarkably well. Due to the large number of characters, they used their real names on stage, which was easier than remembering so many stage names. It was hard to believe that it was essentially unscripted; the dialogue flowed smoothly, with some very memorable lines and funny moments. The show was brought together by Kilcullen Drama Group chairperson Sinead McKenna, and great credit is due to her for bringing such an original piece to the stage in Kilcullen. It was a courageous move that paid off brilliantly.

Sadly, the show could, for obvious reasons, only run for one night, disappointing many who couldn't get tickets. Nonetheless, those lucky enough to attend on the night were treated to another memorable evening from Kilcullen Drama Group. One can only look forward to their next production, The Walworth Farce, in April.