The Alphabet in Crime Fiction: Simon Brett’s What Bloody Man Is That?

Where is the Alphabet in Crime Fiction community meme today? We’re at our twenty-third stop as we wend our treacherous way through the alphabet. Thanks as always to our tour guide Kerrie at Mysteries in Paradise for keeping us all together and safe. We’re stopping today at the “Hotel W,” and my contribution for this stop is Simon Brett’s What Bloody Man is That?. Published in 1987, it‘s the twelfth in his Charles Paris series.

Paris is an occasionally-employed actor whose drinking and whose inept agent Maurice Skellern have kept him from a lot of the very best roles. As this novel begins, he’s been “between roles” for a bit and is only too happy when Skellern calls him with news of new work. Gavin Scholes, director at the Pintero Theatre, Warminster, is putting together a production of Macbeth, and Paris is slated for two bit parts: the Bleeding Sergeant and the Drunken Porter. Paris agrees to the roles and travels to Warminster to begin rehearsals. With the play opening in just over three weeks, there’s a lot to do, and the various actors get started.

One of the actors is legendary Warnock Belvedere, who’s taking the role of Duncan in the play. Belevedere is arrogant, egotistical and sexist, and his high-handedness and self-aggrandising behaviour soon alienate just about everyone in the cast, including Paris. As if that weren’t enough, there are other hurdles to overcome. Television star George Birkitt, who’s to play the lead, has a lot of difficulty remembering his lines and can’t even devote full time to the play, as he’s working on a television production, too. Felicia Chatterton, who’s to play Lady Macbeth, is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and takes her work extremely seriously. She is intent on “doing her homework” and really understanding her character, so she frequently interrupts rehearsals for discussions about what motivates the action. She’s quite upset about what she sees as the lack of professionalism among the other members of the cast, especially Belevedere, and in fact, threatens to leave the production. There’s a series of illnesses, accidents and other challenges, too. Still, preparations move along, and the company gets closer and closer to opening night.

One day, the rehearsal is a disaster and when it’s over, the members of the company, Paris included, go to the bar attached to the theatre to drown their sorrows. Paris has much, much more than his share to drink and is lurching towards his dressing room when he sees Belvedere, who’s also had a lot to drink. Not thinking much of it, Paris manages to make his way to his dressing room where he promptly falls asleep. He wakes up just after three in the morning and realises he’s been locked in the theatre. He’s trying to find a way to leave when he comes upon the body of Warnock Belvedere in the store-room beneath the theatre. He calls the police who immediately begin to investigate. At first, it looks as though Belvedere died of heart failure but soon, it’s made clear that he was cleverly murdered. Paris can’t account for his actions, and he knows his behaviour is suspicious, so he’s afraid he’ll be suspected of the murder. He’s right, too; the police do have their suspicions of him. So Paris decides to investigate the death himself and clear his name. As it turns out, Warnock Belvedere’s behaviour led directly to his death.

The mystery itself is interesting. Belevedere doesn’t die by what you might call a “typical” method, and although there are clues, the solution isn’t obvious. Even Paris gets it wrong at first. The mystery and the solution make sense, too, especially given the setting and Belvedere’s personality.

Just as engaging is the look the story gives readers at life in the theatre. For instance, there’s the physical description of the theatre building. Then, there’s the “inside look” at the process of putting on a play, from casting, to read-throughs, to blocking and staging, to rehearsals and final preparations and then, opening night. There are also several “theatre types.” There’s Russ Lavery, the eager young up-and-coming but far-too-idealistic actor. There are several jaded veterans, including Paris. There’s the egotistical Belvedere, the oh-so-dedicated Felicia Chatterton, and there’s George Birkitt, the glossy television star who’s “out of his element” with “real actors.” There are also a few theatre traditions, practical jokes and superstitions. All of this provides rich context for the murder. Those with a background in theatre will no doubt find themselves nodding and laughing in recognition. For those less familiar with the theatre, the novel gives a fascinating “inside look” at what theatre life is like. Here, for instance, is just a little bit of Brett’s description of what the company mood is like during rehearsals:
 

“The mood of a company goes through many changes during a rehearsal period. There is the initial diffidence, frequently followed by a flood of confidence if the first few days rehearsals go well. This quickly gives way to total despair at the first set-back…
This is frequently followed by a period of doldrums…That may well give way to another nadir of despair after a runthrough in which everything goes wrong…
Then, with a bit of luck, comes a sunny period of mounting confidence, as performances burgeon and the company begins to feel that really, after all, the show could be pretty bloody good….
This fragile, but sometimes aggressively confident attitude is usually destroyed in the week before the opening by technical problems…”

 

Brett infuses the Paris series with a lot of humour, and this novel is no exception. For instance, Paris begins work with the understanding that he’ll take on two roles. However, because his contract is a “play as cast” contract, he’s asked to take on half a dozen other small roles, each of which entails a costume and makeup change. As Paris juggles his entrances and exits, he actually finds himself having to race from one place to another during the play and is overwhelmed by the number of costumes he’s assigned. In the wake of Belvedere’s death, Paris, a confirmed drinker, decides to swear off alcohol and throughout the rest of the novel, there are several humourous scenes where he questions the wisdom of “taking the pledge.” There’s also a funny scene where Paris is asked to answer questions from a group of students who’ve attended a matinee performance:
 

“Charles persevered. ‘So for them, you see, the theatre provided everything. Tragedy, comedy…’
‘Where’s the comedy?’ demanded an aggressive recently broken voice.
‘Well, even in Macbeth there’s comedy.’
‘Where?’
‘The Drunken Porter. He’s a comic character.’
‘But he’s not funny.’
‘No, I know he’s not funny, but he is a comic character.’
Dear, oh, dear, this is uphill work, thought Charles… ‘You see, you have the latest sit com, but in the same way the people of Shakespeare’s time had the Drunken Porter….’
‘Poor sods,’ said a voice from the back.
The short bearded teacher leapt up in fury. ‘Who said that? Come on, who said it? We are not leaving this theatre until the boy who said that word owns up.’
Oh God, thought Charles. We could be here all night.”
 

The character of Charles Paris is also quite appealing (at least to me). He’s smart and observant, but hardly perfect. He’s jaded, but not so cynical that he doesn’t dream of The Big Role. He misses his ex-wife Frances, and recognises that he’s mostly to blame for their breakup. He’s a skilled enough actor, but not overly self-confident. It’s easy to be “on his side” as he tries to avoid being arrested for murder.

An engaging “theatre murder” with an interesting cast of characters, What Bloody Man Is That? also has a solid dose of humour and features an appealing amateur sleuth. But what’s your view? Have you read What Bloody Man Is That? If you have, what elements do you see in it?