TOWARDS ZERO

A review by Tanya Howard

Anyone who knows me knows that I love true crime documentaries, detective novels and a good thriller with a shocking twist so when I was invited to see Towards Zero I was an instant yes. Towards Zero is a detective fiction book written by Agatha Christie and has been directed by Brian Blessed, completing the quartet of Agatha Christie plays he has showcased at The Mill each summer.

Five puzzled faces turned to him. There had been a murder – a brutal murder – of an invalid matriarch as she lay in bed. There had apparently been no premeditation on the part of her family and friends who had gathered at her home for their regular yearly visit. No one seemed to have had any reason for killing her, nor did anyone gain by her death. Inspector Battle paused. “It’s Zero Hour now,” he snapped.

The show is a family affair with Brian’s wife, Hildegard Neil and daughter, Rosalind Blessed, taking on the roles of Lady Tressilian and Mary Adlin respectively. Lady Tressilian’s character is only in the first half as she is the murder victim and I was surprised to see that Hildegard was not there for the end bow as she was a powerful presence on the stage and although only featuring shortly, she made her stamp.

Speaking of Lady Tressilian, one thing that stuck with me was the gorgeous shoes she was wearing, and I have to say I was so impressed with the costumes in the production. All costumes are designed and made in The Mill’s wardrobe, and the sets are built in their workshop, nothing is outsourced for them. I was in love with the character Kaye’s dinner dress and the costumes really did take you back in time.

I don’t want to give away anything about who the killer is, but I will say I doubt you will guess the final outcome. The play has so many twists and turns and despite guessing about four different outcomes, they were all wrong and I was super impressed with the final twist and reveal.

The actors all put 100% into their performances, although I would say take the pipe away from the character of Thomas as it just looked so awkward. I loved Duncan Wilkins in the role of Ted Latimer, and Chris Pybus in the role of Inspector Leach, who at first, I stupidly thought was the same person but with a stick-on moustache.

There is a hilarious fight scene at the end, if you could even call it a fight scene, but it definitely stuck in all our minds and was the first thing we all talked about once it ended, as well as the reveal of the killer. Six of us travelled up together to see the show and despite numerous attempts at guessing not a single one of us worked out the killer. I always try to work out the outcome of a play or story like this and I love when it’s a complete surprise.

The Mill At Sonning is the only dinner theatre in the UK and is such a stunning venue with a working water wheel that you can see in the aptly named Water Wheel Bar. Alongside getting to see a great show the theatre tickets include a delicious two course meal in the restaurant before the show, for the great price of just £51.

The main course is set up like a buffet and you go up and serve yourself as much as you’d like, and I had some gammon, lemon and thyme roast potatoes in gravy, and this amazing Beef and Red Wine Pie. The restaurant recently got a new chef and had to keep the pie on the menu as it’s such a favourite amongst their guests. For dessert there were four options and I went for the Apple Crumble and Custard.

I would definitely recommend visiting The Mill At Sonning, whether it’s to see a show and for dinner or just to pop in for a quick drink to take in the stunning surroundings and to see the architecture of the building. I really enjoyed my time in Reading and I really loved the production of Towards Zero and would definitely return for another show.