Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall ... Carefully Constructed Chaos!

Don’t miss watching Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall! As I had previously seen and loved the work of co-writer Jamie Oxenbould’s comedy Chicken in a Biscuit and the high standard performances by Pymble Players, I had hoped that Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall was going to be an interesting and funny night of theatre. The play was also co-written by Mark Kilmurry. I wondered if the name Hamlington was a deliberate play on words – a bit of a hidden meaning within the title – as in, they were going to “ham things up”. (They certainly did!)

It is the opening night of a murder mystery play put on by an amateur theatre group named the Middling Cove Players. The writer / director / actor Shane Tweed (Michael Mulvenna) and the cast and crew are in the last hours of rehearsal when they receive news that the dreaded lurgy has hit several cast members. After a brief discussion about perhaps postponing the play’s opening night, Shane confidently declares that “The show must go on!” The hitch of this? The remaining cast will need to take on two-or-more character roles in their upcoming play. This includes roping in the tough stage manager Karen, played by Kate Kelly (involved in the Middling Cove Players because of ‘community service’ for an unknown but possibly violent crime) as well as her niece, played by Ciara Briggs.

Under the tutorage of Murray Fane’s character, they are instructed that each of their characters should speak with a different accent to differentiate the characters to the audience of the play. Thus begins the “play within a play” where the cast, donning some hilarious stereotypical costumes and accents, and moving with exaggerated bluster, begin to perform the murder mystery play. It isn’t easy acting ‘like a bad actor’ but the cast throw themselves into it and achieve their goal! Exaggerated accents appear, limps manifest and many other things add a touch of ridiculous to the play.

Pymble Players were magicians, having produced a carefully constructed chaotic comedy with the illusion of catastrophe! The only trouble I had with this play within a play was picking a favourite character.

The Season run: 31 July – 9 August 2026 at The Zenith Theatre, Chatswood.
Run time: 2 hours and 25 minutes, including a 20-minute interval

To book tickets to Midnight Murder At Hamlington Hall, please visit https://pymbleplayers.com.au/tickets.

Published 2 August 2026 by WHATS THE SHOW