A Tomb With a View - Lyndhurst Drama and Musical Society, Vernon Theatre, Lyndhurst

A DEMENTED family, a potential fraudster and a convoluted will with a lot of strings attached form the basis of this comedy thriller.

It is not long before the various deaths begin and the audience is drawn into a whodunnit guessing game.

Red herrings abound, especially as espoused by the hard-headed housekeeper (Pat Porter).

In this production the first act lacked pace, but it picked up after the interval. 'Dotty' Dora (Diane Andrews in a first major part) and 'mad' Marcus (Neville Green) made the most of their eccentric roles. Emily (Diane Buck) and Lucien (David Balfour) were suitably macabre while Monica (Louise Overton) amused with her vampish advances.

As the body count mounts, it is left to the nurse (Emma Buck) and visitor (newcomer John Gardener) to provide the explanations. This proved a task on the night, but did not detract from the overall enjoyment for the audi

Finishes 3 November.