Garrick serves up tennis-themed murder mystery

Tennis-based murder mystery Crimes on Centre Court is coming to Lichfield Garrick later this year as part of a UK tour.

The production from award-winning producer New Old Friends in association with MAST Mayflower Studios plays at the Garrick from Thursday 19 to Saturday 21 October.

Crimes on Centre Court is based on a story from the award-winning podcast Comedy Whodunnits for your ears? (#2 in iTunes fiction chart) and toured to great acclaim in 2022.

When Lord Knows, the chair of The Whombledun International Invitational Tennis Tournament, dies his son, Hugh, is suspicious.

The police won 't take the case, so Hugh calls in private investigators Perry & Penny Pink, to get to the bottom of things.

What follows has all the hallmarks of New Old Friends ' brand of hilarity, as a cast of four performers play countless characters with quick-fire changes and quicker wits, in a story that will rally your spirits and leave you wanting a second serve-ing of the volley of gags and visual delights.

The tour will also visit Greenwich, Didcot, Bishop Stortford, Portsmouth, Wakefield, Middlesborough, Dumfries, Bury St Edmunds, Newport, Malvern, Northampton, Oxford, Ipswich, Andover, Coventry, Lichfield, Eastbourne, Peterborough, Tewkesbury, Corby, Buxton and York.

Crimes on Centre Court is written and directed by Feargus Woods Dunlop with movement direction from Sam Archer.

Set design is by Caitlin Abbott with costume design by Connie Watson. Lighting is from George Seal with sounds from Fred Riding. The show is composed by Musical Director Guy Hughes. Heather Westwell is Creative Producer.

The play is presented by New Old Friends a touring theatre company.

Feargus Dunlop Woods said: “This show was such fun to create, magpie 'ing all of the elements we love in theatre and popular culture together to create something which feels really 'New Old Friends! '. We believe in giving people a couple of hours of escapism, to just sit and laugh with strangers, which we think is every bit as profound as more obviously worthy shows.

"The response from our audience when we toured last year was overwhelming, so we 're thrilled to be out again sharing all the nonsense of barber-shop singing hedges, ridiculous murders, a character who we never see more than the top of their head and even some actual tennis on stage."

Book tickets for the show now.