‘Murder in Motley’ was a 3 Act Play with, according to the programme, ‘the action taking place in the Drawing Room of Aston House; the home of Sir William Ainslie.
The first part of the programme shows an initial cast list with a note advising the audience that in order ‘to enhance your enjoyment of this play PLEASE DO NOT BREAK THE SEAL until the first interval’ – so presumably the following page was in some way taped down with the intention of not being immediately available to read?
The following page – which we will assume was dutifully opened by 100% of the audience only at the end of Act One, reveals a further cast list.
Both cast lists are noted below – with the hope that one of their number will remember the reasons for the above instructions. No rewards are available for the answer – but it would be an interesting addition to make to the record of this particular play!
Click on images to enlarge, scroll and see captions
Walthamstow Guardian -‘What’s On’
Murder in Motley Script – Shown with the kind permission of Samuel French LimitedScript
Mick, Gerald & Val
Mick, Gerald & Elaine
Val, Iris, John & Brenda – Rehearsal Photo
John & Penny
Gerald
Gerald, John, Val, Lillian, Penny & Enid
Dick, Iris, Enid – Rehearsal Photo
Cyril, Mick & Gerald – Rehearsal Photo
All the photographs of ‘Murder in Motley’ are copyrighted to CMMF/Markhouse Drama Club. As the second and third photographs show Iris, who was Stage Manager in this production, this suggests that these were taken at a rehearsal?
Initial Cast:
- Collette – Adele Bernard
- Sir William Ainslie – John Cade
- Lady Mary Ainslie – Penelope Malling
- Denis Steele – Richard Stewart
- Lottie (The Cook) – Mary Briggs
- Jenson (The Butler) – John Rogers
- Fraser – Ken Mayes
Second Cast
- The Understudy – Lillian Mills
- Joseph Lewison – Barry Elliott
- Doctor Congreve – Keith Elliott
- Police Sergeant Fowler – Michael Everett
- Police Constable Grant – James Braid
- Police Woman Jackson – Elaine Elliott
- Police Woman Ferguson – Brenda Chapman
- Miss Driver – Enid Moorshack
- Adele Bernard – Valerie Poore
- James O’Bryan – Gerald Aylott
- Herbert Walker – Alec Malyon
- Doctor Hudson – Richard Dunn
Stage Management, Lighting & Make Up
- Iris Moorshack , Fred Page, David Morgan, David King, Gordon Aylott,
- Jeffrey Baker, Jennifer Todd, Richard Dunn, Bernard Page & Brenda Chapman