Simon Ward reviews Kill For The Part at the Canal Cafe Theatre

Written and directed by Lucy Blunt, who also plays Olivia/Eleanor Deluse, this is a witty and beguiling romp which interleaves a classic cosy murder mystery with the back-stage shenanigans that arise when the cast believe themselves to be made for better things. It opens with the cast at the first read-through of Olivia’s play – no luvvie stone is left unturned as Tom (George Almond), Sadie (Rebekah Nicol), Nathaniel (Jake O’Hare) and Olivia vie for status. Nathaniel, in particular, is utterly committed to his thespian craft, and makes sure we all know it. This is a world that Blunt knows well, and it’s easy to believe that her characters are drawn from life.

As they prepare for opening night a rumour starts to circulate that there will be a director in the audience who has one part which he needs to cast for an upcoming show at the National – it is clear now that the play is a battle to the death between the four of them for that one coveted slot, if we draw a veil of the fact that he would surely be casting either for a male or a female part. In any case, best not to think too deeply about any of this, and just immerse oneself in the fun.

And what fun it is. Blunt’s play-within-a-play is a classic country house mystery. It’s not entirely clear when it is set – the cast of generals, countesses and maids would suggest perhaps Victorian times, but there seems to be a lack of due deference from maid and gardener that would suggest otherwise. Perhaps it doesn’t need to be that specific. General Darius Deluse (George Almond) is a widower living quietly with his daughter Eleanor (Lucy Blunt), their maid, Pippa (Rebekah Nicol) and gardener Arthur (Jake O’Hare). They are visited by the Countess (also Rebekah Nicol) who has her sights set on the General and his sizeable fortune. After much back and forth and intrigue involving carefully embroidered underwear the gardener ends up dead. Luckily, there is a detective on hand to get to the bottom of it all – step forward Jake O’Hare once again. Needless to say, between all the doubling up and the hilarious script, the actors get a chance to show off their range. Eleanor even manages to find that she can only express her true feelings about the dead gardener through the medium of a rather well-delivered blues song and dance routine.

This is clearly a project that is very close to Lucy Blunt’s heart, and no doubt making it was a rather cathartic exercise in the face of the never-ending grind of trying to make it in the theatre world. It is funny from beginning to end – the murder mystery is intriguing even as it is sending itself up and the bitchy luvvie backbiting is brilliantly well observed. A thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Kill For The Part is running at the Canal Cafe Theatre, 13 Westbourne Terrace Road, London W2 6NG until Saturday 15th November