Charles Paris, middle-aged actor turned amateur sleuth, is vacationing at a small English seaside town. Irresistibly drawn to anything theatrical, Charles seeks entertainment at the local music hall and endures a series of not-so-wonderful vaudeville acts in the hope that the man given star billing will be worth watching. This performer, Bill Peaky, comes on stage with his electric guitar, grasps the microphone—and drops dead, due to faulty wiring of the stage equipment.
It looks like an accident, but Charles is not so sure and starts to find out more about the people in the other acts on the bill: Janine, the pretty dancer who disappears; Miffy Turtle, Peaky’s manager, a little too sharply dressed and too sharp altogether; Chox Morton, seedy and unduly nervous, manager of another act; Lennie Barber, one-time star comedian trying to make a comeback. The more Charles investigates, the more suspects turn up.
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"Amazing voice and characterization for the old comedian, Lennie Barber: great depth of his feeling and philosophy on being a seasoned entertainer dealing with successes and disallusions, of the intangibility of dealing with a fickle public; no remaining illusions; his insights and vision, passion for his work ad respect for his roots in the bygone music hall era - and his entertainer dad. Shrewd analysis of fame, success and the difference bewteen live audience and the distancing media of TV.
Brett is a wry and insightful writer on aspects of theatre. Less exploration of Charles as a flawed creatuure and not as amusing, but Lennie is rivetting. 5 stars to THAT aspect."
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ursula (4 out of 5 stars)