STRICTLY MURDER - by Brian Clemens

"No, I'm the Grim Reaper, bringing you and me a happy release."

Strictly Murder by Brian Clemens

Directed by Don Glossop

Brian Clemens, has produced a play with an abundance of bluff and double bluff.

The play is set in Provence in 1939 with France abounding with rumours of war. A young English unmarried couple, Peter Meredith (Paul Tourneur) and Suzy Hinchcliffe (Mandana Namazi)  are living together in remote rural isolation.  He paints (mostly poppies!) but is reticent about his past and she is in the early stages of her first pregnancy. Speculation of an imminent invasion aided by frequent news broadcasts adds to the tension. A benign innocuous and confused elderly man Josef (Paul Kloegman)  amusingly wanders in and out of the proceedings, taking in a little more than they give him credit for! The tempo heats up with the appearance of an undercover police officer, Ross (Paul Fisher)  and the Superintendent of Scotland Yard, Miriam Miller (Deborah Spitz) ~ and the idyll is shattered. Midst Chateau La Tour, rat poison, impostors/collaborators and a clever sinister twist all set with a backdrop of the impending war ~ this is a gripping murder story with the set throughout being a cluttered rustic interior doubling as a murder scene!  Set against the backdrop of the approaching storm as Hitler marches into Poland and Neville Chamberlain declares Great Britain is at war with Germany, the plot is full of twists and turns.

Brian Clemens is probably best known for creating and writing the series: THE AVENGERS, THE PROFESSIONALS, MY WIFE NEXT DOOR, THRILLER and BUGS. He has also written many feature films, including WATCHER IN THE WOODS for Bette Davis, HIGHLANDER TWO for Sean Connery and THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD. Most recently he has been writing McBRIDE and JANE DOE for Hallmark, USA. Brian was born in Croydon, is married with two sons (both in the business) and divides his time between his farmhouses in Spain and Bedfordshire. His hobbies are writing, fine wines and more writing!

Director Don Glossop is back directing for the Metro stage and has put together a talented cast for Clemens' thriller. STRICTLY MURDER will open on Jan 16, 2010, with a 2 for $24 preview on Fri, Jan 15 and will play Wed – Sat until Feb 13, 2010 with 8pm curtains.  There will be two 2pm Sunday matinees on Jan 24 and Feb 7th.  Tickets $15/$18 and may be obtained by calling the Metro Box Office at 604 266-7191 at Metro Theatre, 1370 SW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC  V6P 5Z9

Make a point of visiting the upstairs lounge before or after any performance of STRICTLY MURDER (January 16 - February 13, 2010) to admire artist, Wendy Kefoury's work.