‘Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.’

The University of Southampton’s Theatre Group are back this year with another five star performance in an impeccable production. From beginning to end, the audience marvelled at the outstanding performance of Agatha Christie’s ‘Spider’s Web’, in a production that is achingly hilarious, whilst maintaining a level of intrigue and captivation throughout. The directors (Jessica Scott, Nick Skordellis, James Stark), alongside the producers, should be commended for their incredible vision coming to life in a way that kept the house entertained for all two-and-a-half hours that the play ran.

‘Spider’s Web’ is a comedy thriller play, written by Agatha Christie. Having originally premiered in the West End in 1954, it is Christie’s second longest running play. The play follows Clarissa Hailsham-Brown (Maile-Ana Crompton), who suffers from an overactive imagination, thinking up scenarios involving murders occurring in her own home, except now, an actual murder has occurred in her living room. The audience follow Clarissa along as she tries to dispose of the body with the help of her three dinner guests and attempts to keep the police at bay.

The visuals for this production were incredible, with special recognition going to the lighting team, knowing exactly what will change the mood of a scene, encapsulating the changes from hilarity to seriousness in the atmosphere perfectly. The set provided all that was needed to keep the evening running smoothly, and with the living-room set being so close, the audience felt like they were in the room as the events of the night unfolded, providing yet another level of mystery and intrigue for the audience. The usage of props throughout the production proved essential to the narrative, going seamlessly with the talented cast that were using them to enhance their own performances. ‘Spider’s Web’, has been incredibly directed and produced, the crew should all be very proud of their work in this amusing thriller.

Taking on an Agatha Christie work is not an easy job, but this cast knew exactly what they were doing! Two-and-a-half hours of the most amazing, and confident performances were seen. As the evening went on, and more characters were introduced, the audience were gripped by the fantastic portrayals. Immediately, we are introduced to the characters of Sir Rowland Delahaye (brought to life by Grace Lorenzen), Clarissa’s protective guardian, and Hugo Birch (played marvellously by Luke McCrone). The on-stage chemistry between the pair is something to be marvelled at; Lorenzen had a great balance of emotions in playing Delahaye, getting the balance between comedy and serious emotion perfect, whilst McCrone played the loveable Birch, a character that had the audience in stitches the entire night with his impeccable delivery. Paired together this duo had the audience in the palm of their hands.

As the night went on, we met Pippa Hailsham-Brown, played by Poppy Smith, Clarissa’s endearing stepdaughter. Ever-hungry, the young Hailsham-Brown brought passionate personality to the production, with the audience growing fond and protective of Pippa, just as Clarissa is of her. We then meet her father, Henry Hailsham-Brown, played by Anna Wildgust. Whilst Henry is not seen onstage for much of the play, Wildgust did a superb job of bringing his character to life, giving the audience an insight into how Henry deals with Clarissa’s fantastical, vivid stories. Clarissa herself, played by Crompton, was the perfect star. With such an incredible range of emotion, Crompton proved herself to be the most outstanding actor, truly well done. The costuming for Clarissa – a green dress with pure white elbow-length gloves – showed off her class and innocence, leaving us wondering how she found herself caught up in this ghastly fiasco.

Kiera Robinson’s characterisation of Jeremy Warrender was well defined, keeping the audience charmed with her depiction of the mysterious Warrender. The steely Inspector Lord, played remarkably by Megan Lawrie, and Alexia Ambekar’s depiction of the young Constable Jones went beautifully together. Jones wittiness offsets Lord’s matter-of-factness with such grace that it could not go unnoticed. Amongst this remarkable cast, Emily Ellis’ portrayal of Miss Peake must also be applauded. Commanding the room with her performance of the eccentric, oddball gardener Miss Peake was one of the highlights of the night, keeping the house amused and bringing light-heartedness to otherwise tense scenes. Also, Ellis’ ability to bounce off the characters with such ease shows such a talent – how brilliant!

Going on, Eleanor Tippey plays the unpleasant Oliver Costello, a crook with outrageous demands. This was done absolutely convincingly. With this portrayal, you could only hope that perhaps Costello would be struck by lightning. Ethan Price is the mysterious Elgin, the Hailsham-Brown’s butler. As we follow along, we find out that Elgin tells tales of his own. There is something lurking behind this character, and Price’s ability to bring it to life is commendable. Whilst I cannot comment on a natural talent for crime, the ensemble’s ability to complement each other was most definitely natural. This is a cast that know each other well, playing to all of their strengths.

If there were any first night jitters amongst the cast, you could not tell. Each actor brought their own earnestness to their characters, and nuance that only greatened the depth of each piece of the puzzle. In a play with so many twists and turns, the cast understood their roles in ways that must be congratulated.

Supposing you see this play, running until November 1^st, you will have the time of your life. You can watch the Theatre Group’s amazingly produced trailer for Spider’s Web below, and book tickets here!