Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (reviewed Thursday 27 November 2025).
When It Rains, the latest production from UTS Backstage, is a lively and entertaining murder mystery inspired by Agatha Christie. Written and produced by James Neiro and directed by Connor Crick, the play introduces Elizabeth Stonebridge, a character conceived as an archetype of Miss Marple.
Played by Savindi Tillekeratne with chilly aloofness, Elizabeth Stonebridge is an elderly philosophy professor; she’s coolly observant and surgically precise as she dissects disturbing events under the roof of her oldest and best friend, Lady Thorncroft (played by Jo Hirsch).
Unlike the reserved Elizabeth Stonebridge, twice-widowed Lady Thorncroft has a loud, wicked sense of humour, indulging in drink and desserts in equal measure. Hirsch delivers a lively performance in a striking red dress, black lace stockings and white pom-pom heels. It’s kitsch, but it works.
Harry and Henrietta Parker are the newly wedded couple that arrive on the doorstop of Lady Thorncroft’s manor to seek refuge from the thunderstorm. The mood is jovial and seemingly hospitable, but with a chill in the air of the turn of the events about to come. Nothing is given away too early, deliciously raising the stakes over a satisfying 90-minute run over 2 Acts.
The experience begins in the foyer, where vintage wedding invitations play a part in creating intrigue. Inside the theatre, the staging, costumes and performances evokes much-loved BBC period dramas.
The cast embrace the heightened style required of a murder mystery with comedic dissonance. Just when you feel tear ducts pinching at a shocking death, the next minute characters are discussing how to stuff the body in the pantry. Corpses are dragged offstage with deliberate lumber, never undercutting the illusion by allowing a dead body to simply get up walk away. It’s ghoulishly amusing.
Jess Campbell as Cockney driver Victor Davis deserves a special shoutout for being a clear audience-favourite, with a blimey punchiness that undercuts and rebels against the serious tension.
Another memorable performance is Maid Green played by Guzi Li, who, in her acting debut, rises to the challenge of improv and audience interaction – shushing spectators, urging slow-moving patrons back to their seats, and commenting directly on audience reactions – prompting some of the show’s biggest laughs.
With a lively, original script, projection is ruefully inconsistent, prompting the audience to chat amongst themselves to work out what was just said (it is Flight Path Theatre after all, where almost all productions suffer the same problem). For this play, a more intimate space such as a heritage bar or pub, where characters might weave through the audience, would potentially create a more immersive experience.
As UTS Backstage’s first original non-musical production in a while, When It Rains is exquisitely crafted. With elegant costumes, a charming set, and a cast visibly enjoying themselves onstage, the production offers an engaging homage to the murder-mystery genre. Fans of Christie-inspired storytelling, dark humour, and theatrical mischief will thoroughly enjoy this spirited production.
When It Rains plays at Flight Path Theatre from 26 – 29 November, 2025. For tickets and showtimes, go to https://www.flightpaththeatre.org/whats-on/when-it-rains-presented-by-uts-backstage
CREDITS:
CAST:
Savindi Tillekeratne as Elizabeth Stonebridge
Jo Hirsch as Lady Thorncroft
Sabrina Turner as Mary Chisholm
Cam Grivas as Harry Parker
Kiani Braund as Henrietta Parker and Agnes Fortescue
Harvey Withford-Cave as Bill Knighthope
Jess Campbell as Victor Davis
Jasmine Hing as Valentine Neiro and Constable Popplewick
Guzi Li as Scullery Maid Green
Written and produced by James Neiro and directed by Connor Crick
Images Supplied