• Howard Holt
• Julie Grant
• Karen Holt
• Inspector Davies
• Mr Purdie
• Srella
  Miss Cunningham
  

• Director
• Stage Manager
• Assistant Stage Manager
• Lighting Design
• Sound Design
• Lighting & Sound
• Continuity
• Set design
• wardrobe
• programme/Poster design

• Steve Wetherilt
  Angela Chabot
  Sandra Haynes
  John Hamilton
  Chris Church
  Beth O'Calagan
  Margaret Kennedy
  

• Alan G Baker
• Samuel Nunn
• Chris Church
• Gary English
• Alan Lade
• Dom Humby
• Jack Mortimer
• Alan G baker
• Marie Mason
• alan lade

SEAFORD GAZETTE Review by Derek Watts

Country house thrillers, the genre practically invented and defined by Agatha Christie and Francis Durbridge, were the staple diet of all repertory companies of the 1950s. Later offerings in the same style by the likes of Frederick Knott, Ira Levin and Anthony Shaffer brought a modern, more psychological edge to the genre but essentially, the whodunit is very much of its time.
And some would say it should stay there. While I am not one of them - I’m an enormous fan of Knott and Hitchcock – ‘Something To Hide’, the July offering at Seaford Little Theatre is not without its flaws.
Written by the actor Leslie Sands and directed by Alan G Baker, it is an ingenious and satisfying tale - but partly because the later action requires holes in the early plot, and partly because the opening scene is leaden, it starts slowly. The play follows a scheming author Howard Holt (Steve Wetherilt), his lover, his wife and publisher (Sandra Haynes) and a canny detective (John Hamilton), who almost immediately realises something isn't quite right about Karen Holt's motor accident - especially when young Julie Grant (Angela Chabot) goes missing around the same time.
Somehow, neither the relationships between the central married couple nor the lovers ever quite convince, but the whole thing picks up and improves across the board with the arrival of Hamilton’s excellent Inspector Davies - an incisive mind operating behind a screen of kindly, methodical lumbering, a Columbo stumbling into Midsomer Murders.
Steve Wetherilt, as the lead, while never quite the louche lounge lizard, and while vocally, he was at times indistinct, gave a smooth, assured performance. Angela Chabot, as his lover, looked good and moved well – and I confess I never realised till the curtain that she was also the Holts’ sassy, put-upon maid, not above reading the family mail.  Sandra Haynes, as his wife, proved an excellent foil for the Inspector and gave us the range of emotions from confused, terrified, angry and bereft in a noteworthy reading.
There were decent cameos from rural busybody Miss Cunningham, a cert for Miss Marple if another Christie-type piece is on the cards next season. We all know the nosy neighbour, the stalwart of the village and the mover and shaker of the WI. It was she who launched the unravelling of the plot and by halfway, after Chris Church’s delightful Mr. Purdie, floated another red herring into the mix, the production was well into its stride and the net began to tighten.
A country house set is a country house set – this play relied a lot on the sound, well designed by Alan Lade.
I failed to spot the twists at the end. Who was blackmailing whom ? Would the dastardly protagonist get to the airport ? What was the dead girl doing coming back to life halfway through the last scene ? And did we care ?
Well, kind of……and while it wasn’t really a whodunit, and while 1950s country house thrillers are best played in the 1950s style, the genre is alive and while it didn’t actually kick at Seaford last week, it grabbed you by the collar and said, ‘So, here we are, you’re going to enjoy this.’ And, by and large, we did.

EVENING ARGUS Review by Tony Flood

Those who enjoy thrillers with plenty of twists should pay a visit to Seaford Little Theatre's excellent presentation of Something To Hide.
Under the skilful direction of Alan G Baker, a strong cast ensures that Leslie Sands' superb script and characters are projected convincingly.
Newcomer Steve Wetherilt makes an impressive Seaford debut as sinister author Howard Holt, who takes full advantage of a bizarre situation when his wife Karen accidentally runs over his lover Julia in her car. He tells Karen he will dispose of the dead body, and persuades her to lie to the police.
Outstanding performances are given by Sandra Haynes, as a distraught but furious wife, and John Hamilton, ideal in the role of the persistent Inspector Davies, a Yorkshire version of Colombo. He slyly interrogates the husband and wife to find out what has happened to the missing Julia.
Angela Chabot resists overplaying the easily-led Julia, and Margaret Kennedy is superbly amusing as a busybody neighbour.
There are also splendid cameos from Chris Church, playing motor mechanic Will Purdie, and Beth O'Calagan as the maid.

My one criticism is the long gaps between scenes for what is a single-set, well designed by the multi-talented Baker.

SEAFORD SCENE Review by Emily Jane Polling

A spectacularly thrilling show was put on by Seaford Little Theatre last Tuesday (Tuesday 26th July 20I0). Full of unexpected twists and turns, spine-tingling 'Something to Hide' by Leslie Sands was by far the best production I have seen at the Little Theatre.

'Something to Hide' is a mystery thriller based around the suspicious events taking place in the English countryhouse of novelist Howard Holt (Steve Wetherilt) and his wife Karen (Sandra Haynes). The action of play revolves around a police investigation into Karen's car accident and the alleged murder of Howard's mistress Julia Grant (Angela Chabot).

At the start of the play I had my doubts about the production. The opening scene is supposed to be lustful banter between Howard and his mistness, yet the fact that they were having an affair was not all that apparent The scene was a little bit static and almost too rehearsed; however as the play progressed it just got better and better, resulting in an all out edge-of-the-seat thriller.

The central characters were all well cast and equally well played; notable in particular was the performance of John Hamilton as Inspector Davies. A bumbling yet astute man, Inspector Davies is the policeman heading the investigation into the strange circumstances of Mrs Holt's car crash. Davies refuses to let the wool be pulled over his eyes, and suspects from the start that Mr and Mrs Holt are covering up something substantial. Hamilton was perfect for the role of a country policeman and played his character with brilliant accuracy. The Inspector's incessant prying into a seemingly innocent accident sets the plot rolling for the entire play.

Equally, the perfonmances of Sandra Haynes and Steve Wetherilt as the warring couple covering up a crime were very enjoyable. The pair worked well together; Wetherilt's strong scheming and manipulation contrasted well with Haynes's nervous and crumbling character.

As the plot thickened and the play drew to a close the audience sat heavy with anticipation, teetering on their seats and hoping not to be left on another cliff-hanger (as we were in the interval). A fantastic twist at the end really made the production a stand-out show.

'Something to Hide' was really well performed by all and definitely worth seeing. Alan G Baker did a great job of directing the mystery and deserves the praise the production received. A truly enjoyable evening.