Murder Before Evensong by Reverend Richard Coles has been adapted for the stage at Watermill Theatre by Paul Hart and Shaun Mckenna.
Canon Daniel (Iam Hallard) opens the play and stands at the pulpit about to conduct his usual service. All is going well until he approaches the subject of putting a toilet into the church, which requires moving a couple of rows of pews.
The proposal angers and outrages some of the parishioners at his proposal to remove some of their favourite pews for this convenience.
All the cast except for Ian Hallard and Jaz Singh Deol’s play multiple roles throughout the play. Hallard plays Canon Daniel, who is desperately trying to figure out the murder while remaining calm and empathetic to his concerned parishioners. Deol plays DS Neil Vanloo. There’s sizzling undercurrents between these two characters as the play progresses.
The village of Champton reflects the life of living in a small closenit village. Many of the characters are relatable to people you might come across. Something as innocent as the Canons suggestion could potentially cause this much outrage. Still, waters often run deep in sleepy villages.
Set designer Cevi Calf has created a set to suit the smaller stage at Watermill Theatre. It offers a range of village buildings from the Church pulpit complete with some pews on either side of the stage, The Great Hall at Champton House, a village cottage, the shop, and the cafe. The three large picture style screens at the back of the stage offer the different signs, wallpaper, and pictures that allow the audience to recognise where they are in the village at any given time.
Murder Before Evensong offers a solid murder mystery in the atmospheric setting of the Watermill Theatre, playing to a full house matinee performance, the fans of Reverend Richard Coles and murder mysteries remain popular.
What I especially liked was the music played during the interval. Combing Coles earlier work in the music industry with his current work and interests.
Personally, I haven’t read the book, and I don’t know how close to the storyline it is. I actually prefer this as I don’t arrive with any preconceived ideas or know or whodunit.
For more information about Murder Before Evensong and future productions at Watermill Theatre, please use the link below.
Four Stars.
Photo credit Alex Brenner.
Running from 25th September to 14th November 2026.
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