AN EVENING OF TWO ONE ACT PLAYS

THERE'S ALWAYS SPRING
MS WITHERS	Pat Currie	MISS WATSON	Rena Haldane
MAN	James Keenan	WOMAN	Stephanie Dodds
IAN	Joe Thomson	JILL	Leigh Pirret
PRIME TIME MURDER
SHERYL	Anne Gray	ABIGAIL	Stephanie Dodds
MARJORIE	Margaret Clark	BRIAN WHITE	James Keenan
GRANT	Joe Thomson	JUDITH	Carol Finlay
INSPECTOR PAUL	Alan Peebles	SERGEANT KING	Pamela Moir

The Apex Players stretched their talents with a sparkling double bill at Cumbernauld Theatre last week.

"Prime Time Murder" and "There's Always Spring" were a highly entertaining showcase for the amateur company's acting, directing, writing and musical skills.

The first play (written by Apex's Anne Gray, who also played femme fatale Sheryl) was a pleasingly traditional whodunnit, complete with multiple suspects, last-act drawing room exposition and final defiant speech by the unmasked murderer. Part of the fun was trying to guess the identity of the killer. Was it starlet-with-a-past Abigal (Stephanie Dodds)? Blackmailed writer Marjorie (Margaret Clark)? Vampy Lady Sheryl and her lover Brian White (James Keenan)? Love-struck Grant (Joe Thomson)? Or TV detective Judith (Carol Finlay)?

On the trail of the cold-blooded killer were Inspector Paul (the always excellent Alan Peebles) and Sergeant King (Pamela Moir). Anne Gray's first play expertly mixed comedy and mystery, with the players likewise striking the right balance between drama and humour.

Stephanie Dodds, James Keenan and Joe Thomson (who also wrote the music for both plays) reappeared in Arthur Ludgrove's "There's Always Spring", a lightweight but effective romantic ghost story.

As the deceased couple with a supernatural attachment to their old home, Stephanie and James were outstanding. Equally fine were Joe Thomson as stuffy Ian and Leigh Pirret as Jill, who come to view the home. Pat Currie again displayed here finely honed comedic talents in a small role as estate agent Ms Withers, while Rena Haldane showed just why she's one of the jewels in Apex's crown with her performance as Miss Watson.

Directors Charles MacKinnon and Gerry McGladrigan are to be congratulated for the sterling work, which helped make up a highly entertaining evening - one which showed off the many talents of Apex.