HiJinks & Caviar

Moody Clues

HiJinks and Caviar

by Emily and Pete Moody

Fluffy Top Productions at the New Wimbledon Theatre Studio until 26^th October

Review by Heather Moulson

Opening with The Invitations, a strong number sung by all the cast, we are drawn into the colourful characters of Moody and Moody’s murder mystery musical, HiJinks and Caviar. 

We are ploughed into 1930’s England on Alan Wynn’s splendid set, an ornate room at the recently widowed Lord Shyttevigge’s estate.  It is an elaborate production with a relatively large cast in a small space, but taken on with efficiency under the detailed direction of Emily Moody and musical direction of her co-writer Pete Moody.

His second musical number follows, as Professional Standards introduces three members of staff, Lisa Rouselle as the maid, Emily Clare as Cook, and Jeff King as Hyde, the loyal butler (or was he?).  Question marks like these are almost permanently raised as we find out whodunnit. 

The staff are vibrant and humorous, and Cook particularly stands out with her stage presence and cheek.  The maid is charming but her accent seems to slip in places, and the butler worked hard to keep up the vital comedy element. 

With witty dialogue and a delightful amount of double-entendres, the guests (or victims) are unravelled. These include a dipsomaniac grand Lady Longfeather, who mercilessly bullies the retiring vicar, Pastor Verdi, whom it seems comes from a murky family background.  They are played by Hayley Pettit and Richard Blackman respectively.  Pettit brings touches of humour, and Blackman is outstanding and sings a beautiful number Too Much Flapper Happening.  I would like to see more of this actor in the future. 

Danny Da’Val is particularly alluring as the lecherous cad and playboy Benny Factor, a sharp performance that has energy and verve.  Megan Lanning’s film star Libby Doe makes a glamorous entrance but needs more projection for her Drop Dead Gorgeous number.  However, when singing the duetTill You’re Mine with Benny Factor, Libby is slinky and truly confident.

The gutsy Alice Underdown plays the outspoken and magnificently red-trousered Cherry Tree, but her number This is Where I’ve Fallen feels rather underplayed.  However, here the recorded music above us does play overly loud. 

In the second act, the vibrant and droll Ophelia Pain, Adele Jolliffe, outshines the hapless Inspector Doright, played by Brian Holmes, in finding the murderer.  This act has more ensemble numbers to bring it all to life.   A nod must go to David Flett as the very short-lived Lord Shyttevigge. 

Witty dialogue keeps the entire cast going through the two hours, but there are some moments where one feels it limps along and could benefit from an edit.   Despite Ophelia’s audacious wig, the costumes are beautifully thought out and designed.  

Fluffy Top’s actors impressively recreate their own authentic splendour of the era of between the Wars society.                                                                                                                                                                       

Heather Moulson, October 2024

Photography courtesy of Fluffy Top Productions