The Strangling on the Stage by Simon Brett

certainly doing that with Ritchie. She’d go along with whatever he suggested.’
    â€˜Which no doubt made Elizaveta jealous, and she wanted to be treated the same way?’
    â€˜Spot on, Jude. Particularly as she’s always been great mates with Davina and she doesn’t take kindly to being sort of shut out of things. So, anyway, then Ritchie gets involved. He starts saying that we’re wasting valuable rehearsal time … which is a bit rich coming from him, because most of the interruptions we’ve had up till that point have been due to him arguing with Davina about how he wants to do things.
    â€˜And of course Elizaveta doesn’t like this, and then Ritchie makes things worse – quite deliberately, I think – by saying that we shouldn’t be spending so much rehearsal time worrying about the play’s
minor
characters. Well, that’s like a red rag to a bull to Elizaveta. She goes into this great routine about never having been so insulted in her life, and about the fact that she’s generously giving of her time to help SADOS out by playing the
minor
role of Mrs Dudgeon. And pretty soon she’s listing all of the major roles she’s played for the society, even quoting some of the rave reviews she’s had from the
Fethering Observer
and the
West Sussex Gazette
. Then she gets started about Freddie, her ex-husband, and how he started SADOS and how there wouldn’t have been any SADOS without him, and how it wasn’t the place of “jumped-up actors” who “
weren’t even members of the society
” to start criticizing the work done by Freddie Dalrymple.’
    â€˜And how did Ritchie take all this?’
    â€˜Well, by now he’s getting pretty annoyed too, and we all kind of realize that what we’re witnessing is a scene that’s been brewing up since the moment we started rehearsal – that it’s a kind of power struggle, Ritchie and Elizaveta fighting over which one of them has more control of Davina. And then it turns out that there’s a bit of history between Ritchie and Elizaveta.’
    â€˜Really?’ Jude thought instantly of the man’s habit of coming on to every woman he met. ‘Surely not an affair or—?’
    â€˜Oh God, no! The history was more between Ritchie’s mother and Elizaveta. Apparently his mum was big in local amdram circles, playing lots of major roles, round the time that Freddie Dalrymple was setting up SADOS. And there was some kind of rumpus about Ritchie’s mum wanting to join the new society and Elizaveta using her influence with Freddie to keep her out.’
    â€˜Elizaveta not wanting a rival for all the leading parts?’
    â€˜Exactly. So, anyway, last night at rehearsal the argument between Ritchie and Elizaveta is batting to and fro, kind of over Davina’s head, and finally Ritchie loses his temper and says, “Oh, come on, forget all your bloody airs and graces. My mother knew you before you managed to trick Freddie Dalrymple into marrying you – when you were plain Elizabeth Jones, serving behind the counter of the fish and chip shop right here in Smalting!”
    â€˜Well, that did it! That really caught the nerve. So there’s a lot more from Elizaveta about having never been so insulted in her life. And then she says that, under the circumstances, she can no longer continue in this production of
The Devil’s Disciple
– and she walks out!’
    â€˜Flouncing, I dare say.’
    â€˜Very much so, Jude. Flouncing, slamming doors, completely throwing her toys out of the pram. So suddenly we’re without a Mrs Dudgeon.’
    â€˜But surely there are lots of people in SADOS who can play it? Amateur dramatic societies may have problems recruiting young men, but there’s always a glut of mature women.’
    â€˜I know, but the trouble is they’re all on Elizaveta Dalrymple’s side.’
    â€˜What do