Past productions

WHERE THERE’S A WILL

20 February – 1 March 2025

by Iain McGrath

‘The love of money is the root of all evil‘

Following the sudden death of their long-estranged father Charles Forbes, his three adult children are advised that to have a chance of inheriting a share of his sizeable estate they must spend one night together at his remote Norfolk cottage. The Will is due to be read the following day.

Each of them is badly in need of money and turns up at the cottage, only to find that it’s decorated with furniture and paintings which they’re sure their dad would have hated. In addition, there are several photographs of him with a young woman whom none of the family have ever seen before and the stress of the situation exacerbates their already strained relationships.

However, the arrival of the young woman in the photographs the following morning is the catalyst for some shocking revelations as long-buried family secrets are uncovered.

This brand-new play is a tense family drama, full of twists and turns.

Cast

Directed by Anne Gregory

Photography by Chris Fenton

Review | February 2025 | Theo Spring

It’s an oft used literary and theatrical scenario – sometimes set in the dark, fusty offices of a frock-coated solicitor in Victorian times, but here, as the family gathered for the ‘reading of the will’, the setting was the light, bright sitting room of Acle Cottage in Pentney, Norfolk, and the date was 2013. However, the complex machinations which slowly unfolded were worthy of high drama in playwright Iain McGrath’s intriguing play.

It was apparent, from the programme notes, that considerable testing and re-working had gone into the play, and the final script brought many an unexpected reveal.

There will be no actual spoilers in this review, except to say that although many audience members may well, as I did, believe they had worked out some of the play’s relationships, I was wrong on every count – clever plotting playwright!

We meet the deceased three grown-up children, summoned to their father’s cottage to hear the will read. Each has their own burden, expectation and puzzlement, and it becomes obvious they are not close-knit siblings.

First to arrive at the cottage is Brian, here given an agitated demeanour by Ben Hilder, accurately revealing his high hopes for the outcome, his self-centred thinking blinding him to one of the happily more obvious plot lines, that his partner, Samantha, is pregnant. Phoebe Sleeman brought just the right amount of intrigue to Sam’s state in the early scenes of the play but handled the later more obvious information well. Her disbelief at the actions of the family surrounding her was both realistic and understandable.

Next to arrive for the reading was Brian’s sister Melissa and her husband Derek. Lucy Auva brought a real swing of a confident, demanding lady, especially when ordering Derek about, to a softer more vulnerable character as the play progressed. Robert Lewis was the rather hapless Derek, taking orders when given.

Completing the trio was the enigmatic Harry. Simon Long brought just the right amount of mystery to his interpretation, keeping us all guessing.

Although at times, Act I meandered a little, Rebecca Harris as Lucy Bingley made great impact as the firecracker that brought the Act to a close with an unexpected revelation, delivered with panache. She continued by taking charge of the situation and the temperature and speed of Act II noticeably increased.

Croīa Reilly made the most of her short time centre stage as the solicitor Emma Mathews, delivering the reading of the will in her best legalese. As a suggestion, I wonder if her return to the stage in the play’s final moments, might have provided a slightly more “oh I see” moment, rather than the ending chosen which, for me, was a little weak. An opportunity for Where There’s A Will part two here? Natalie Jones’ set was, as mentioned, spacious and roomy and certainly gave the air of a house which was worth money. The décor added to that feel and there were impressive paintings reproduced on the walls.

The musical selection of incidental music – all based on money – made an impact and had been thoughtfully chosen.

This clever play with its unexpected twists and turns, snatches of comedy and up-to-date references was extremely well rehearsed and delivered, under the watchful and experienced eye of Director Anne Gregory to whom, alongside the home-grown playwright, many congratulations are due.