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22 June 2026
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3***
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As day follows night, so the Sidmouth Summer Play Festival kicks off a new season, 69 years after it first began. The longest running weekly repertory theatre in the UK is back with 12 more plays to be performed over the 12 weeks from June to September. The signs are good – box office records have been broken already and there is huge enthusiasm from local people and visitors alike.
Sidmouth Repertory Theatre, under a new Season Producer in Andrew Beckett,  kicks off with Murder Weapon, a thriller by Brian Clemens, who made his name writing for TV with shows such as The Avengers, The Persuaders and The Professionals. Always, as a reviewer, thrillers and whodunnits present a problem – don’t give the game away! Intricately plotted, Murder Weapon is something of an homage to Sidmouth favourite, Francis Durbridge (who even gets a mention in the text). Is the murder of Diane’s husband an open and shut case with the perpetrator caught red-handed? Of course it isn’t! With a plot which is multi-layered and packed with twists and turns, there is plenty for the audience to mull over during the course of the evening.
Unusually for a thriller of this ilk, there is a strong female lead investigator which Rachel Fletcher-Hudson delivers with great authority and there is great bi-play with her colleague, played with great humour by Thomas Willshire. Caught up in the complexities and convolutions of the plot are Dafydd Gwyn Howells, Matthew Hartley, Liv Koplick and Owen Landon; strong performances all round. Is everyone quite what they seem though?
The text is somewhat laboured at times and hinders real pace until the big dramatic moments occur, but director, Jason Moore, injects the production with tension and an air of unease, achieving this particularly well with the use of underscored sound which ramps up the drama.
As audiences have become accustomed, the set is beautifully realised and props, costumes and lighting all hit the deck running at this early stage in the Festival and it is a real treat.
Murder Weapon may not be the greatest thriller going, but it will keep you guessing and it will entertain – it does just what is needed and is the ideal opening to the Sidmouth Repertory Theatre’s new season.
Cast
Jessica Bligh – Rachel Fletcher-Hudson
Inspector Fremont – Thomas Willshire
Charley Mirren – Dafydd Gwyn Howells
Hugo – Matthew Hartley
Diane – Liv Koplick
Paul/Constable Walters – Owen Landon
Creatives
Writer – Brian Clemens
Director – Jason Moore
Set Design – Andrew Beckett
Costume Designer – Janet Huckle
Lighting Design – Chris Jackson & Will Tippett
Sound Design – James Prendergast
Props Supervisor – James Prendergast
Set Builder – Rhys Cannon
Stage Manager – James Prendergast
Stage Management Team – Dominic McChesney & Rhys Cannon
Season Producer – Andrew Beckett
Season Patron – Paul Taylor-Mills
Photo Image – Andrew Beckett
