Murder Before Evensong at the Watermill Theatre – review

Reverend Richard Coles is a familiar voice on radio and TV – and not just on religious programming such as BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day. He has co-hosted the station’s Saturday Live, he’s a welcome guest on comedy quiz shows on both radio and TV, and he’s a multi-instrumentalist with three top ten hits courtesy of The Communards in the 1980s.

Released in 2022, Murder Before Evensong is the first of his series of cozy mystery novels set in Champton, a fictional English country village and featuring crime-solving Canon Daniel Clement. In 2025 it was adapted for broadcast as a TV series. And now it has found its ideal stage home, as a mystery that is both comic and suspenseful, at the Watermill Theatre deep in the Berkshire countryside.

Under the helm of the venue’s artistic director Paul Hart, who co-adapted the novel with Shaun McKenna, a wonderfully versatile cast of just eight has been assembled. All performers are playing more than one role, with the exception of Ian Hallard, who as a perfect empathetic and perspicacious Canon Daniel, is onstage most of the time.

On designer Ceci Calf’s equally versatile and atmospheric set, which makes a church complete with pews and pulpit, the Great Hall at Champton House, the surrounding countryside, a shop, a café, a cottage and more, we meet the denizens of Champton.

Lord of the Manor of Champton, Bernard de Flores, is played with a suitable sense of entitlement by David Hounslow, a real contrast with his roles as grumpy gamekeeper Edgy Liversedge and retired teacher and local historian Ned Thwaite.

Hallard’s Canon Daniel actually opens the play at the lectern in the church, apparently with a sermon on the story of Moses striking the rock to bring forth water, though he is actually working up to one of the central bones of contention in Champton – St Mary’s Church has no lavatory! He contends this can be remedied by moving the back rows of the pew, but there is immediate dissent in the congregation. And to add to the tension, the Champton House annual open day is imminent – a financial necessity to help pay his taxes, as Bernard grumbles.

The comic possibilities of what looks to be the current major cause of controversy in Champton are exploited to the max, even sinking to the apparent low of some pronouncing ‘pew’ as ‘poo’ (a genuine real-life pronunciation though!).

It’s when we get to meet the women of Champton – the real backbone of village life – that we really get the gossip, partly because these are working women, like Margaret Porteous, Lord de Floures’ assistant and Stella Harper, owner of a local boutique (both excellently played by Julie Teal).

Daniel’s family members figure large too, Audrey his mother (Caroline Gruber), not afraid to reveal some exasperation with her son, but especially proud of her grandson, Theo, Daniel’s actor son (Alex Wilson), successful enough to be recognised as a heart throb by postmistress Anne (Kate Russell-Smith).

There is more to come before the murder of the title. Alex, Lord Bernard’s rather more left-wing son (Ajani Cabey) plans an “epic”  performance entitled “A Protest Against Empire”. Another family member Anthony Bowness (Jaz Singh Deol), is the family archivist, trying to control his nerves before giving a talk about the House to the visiting public (played by us the audience), some of whom leave (not played by us!).

So far so cosy, so parochial. It’s not for me to reveal who is murdered or how. The whodunnit will be down to D.S. Neil Vanloo (Singh Deol again). Instead, I probably shouldn’t advise to “kill for a ticket”, but missing this would be a crime!