Archive note: this review records Clarissa’s 2016 visit to Rehearsal for Murder at the Orchard Theatre. The cast and production details below belong to that tour and are preserved as a historical record.
Overview
Rehearsal for Murder is a stage thriller by Richard Levinson and William Link, adapted for the stage by David Rogers. The story follows playwright Alex Dennison, who gathers the cast and crew of an earlier production back inside the same theatre one year after the death of his fiancée and leading lady, Monica Welles.
What initially looks like a script reading gradually becomes a carefully constructed attempt to prove that Monica was murdered.
Cast
- Alex Ferns – Alex Dennison
- Susie Amy – Monica Welles
- Gary Mavers
- Lauren Drummond
- Ben Nealon
- Anita Harris
- Mark Wynter
This 2016 company is retained as the cast record for the production I reviewed.
Creative Team
The production was presented by Bill Kenwright’s Classic Thriller Theatre Company and directed by Roy Marsden. The original story was written by Richard Levinson and William Link and adapted for the stage by David Rogers.
My Review
I went into this one expecting it not to be my sort of show, which made the result even more satisfying. From the opening moments in the apparently empty theatre, with thunder and lightning rumbling around the auditorium, the production created an atmosphere that drew me in.
I particularly liked the way the action moved between characters explaining events and those events then unfolding in front of us. The cast kept that shift feeling seamless, and as the mystery developed I found myself much more invested than I expected.
I am usually fairly good at spotting the culprit in thrillers and horror stories, but this one caught me out. The ending wasn’t what I had predicted, and that surprise was a big part of why the evening worked for me.
Disclosure: I was given tickets to attend and write an honest review.
Production Images
Related Orchard Theatre Archive
This review now connects into the wider Orchard Theatre archive rather than carrying a long list of old or broken links.
- Dirty Dancing – 2016 review
- The Rocky Horror Show – 2016 review
- Blood Brothers – 2016 review
- Sunny Afternoon – 2016 review
Latest Update
August 2026: this page remains the archive record of the Classic Thriller Theatre Company’s 2016 production. The cast included performers with substantial television and theatre careers, giving us several useful names — including Alex Ferns, Susie Amy and Lauren Drummond — to connect into the Clarissa’s Corner cast database as later credits are verified.
Planning another visit to Dartford? See my current Orchard Theatre Dartford What’s On & Visitor Guide for the reopening season, upcoming shows, travel and accessibility information.
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