Review: Curtains at The Orchard Theatre Dartford

The last week or so has been nonstop for me, but luckily I was given the chance to sit still and enjoy something a bit different at The Orchard Theatre in Dartford yesterday with a performance of Curtains, a ..wait for it.. murder musical!

Yes, I said murder musical! You might not think those two genres go together but you would be (surprisingly) wrong. From the Tony Award-winning creators of ‘Cabaret’ and ‘Chicago’, this production follows the cast of a new musical Robbin Hood. When the curtain goes down after the final bow the star of the show is discovered murdered on opening night! The entire cast and crew are suspects.

A local detective, Frank Cioffi (portrayed by Jason Manford) is called in to solve the mystery. Cioffi, who just happens to be a huge musical theatre fan, has a nose for crime and an ear for music and has his work cut out for him trying to find the killer while at the same time helping to save the show which was not well received by the critics.

From creators of Cabaret and Chicago, this Tony award-winning backstage murder mystery musical had the audience laughing throughout and trying to figure out who dun it right to the final curtain. I usually know who the culprit is quite early on with murder mysteries, however, this one had me stumped.

Starring Jason Manford (The Producers, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Guys and Dolls) and Carley Stenson (Les Miserables, Legally Blonde, Shrek, Spamalot and Hollyoaks), this hilarious whodunnit is packed full of catchy songs, unforgettable characters with shady pasts and plot twists.

I really enjoyed the theatrics of the performance, with fantastic costumes, exciting live music and special effects (plenty of smoke and gunshots!) Manford’s portrayal of a starry-eyed but determined Detective really makes him a likeable character who quickly gets the audience on his side.

When asked what was appealing about the role Mansford said: “What I love about Frank is that he’s such a sweet guy, even considering he’s there to solve a murder! He loves theatre but hasn’t had the chance to be on stage, and that’s not dissimilar from how I started! I came from a different world, coming from the stand-up comedy and television world and was surrounded by these hugely talented actors and performers, so I can relate to that a bit! There’s something in him that is just fun to play with as an actor.”

I have to admit that I think the murder part of the murder musical gets a little buried amongst the bigger, flashier performances of the Robbin Hood rehearsals, however, I did find it an entertaining night out.

I would recommend Curtains to anyone looking for a fun, music-filled fiesta full of interesting characters, big musical numbers and fantastic costumes. I am happy to award Curtains 5 out of 5 stars.

Mon 25 – Sat 30 NOVEMBER 2019, showings at 2:30PM & 7:30PM. For more information and for tickets visit The Orchard’s Website.