The Mill at Sonning

Box office

0118 969 8000

Sonning Eye, Reading, RG4 6TY.

Murder Hunt, 14th May to 21st June
A thriller by Brian Clemens. Imagine you are in a remote corner of Africa where superstition still abounds, marooned in a safari Lodge, far from civilisation, when your wife mysteriously disappears! This is the plight of Peter Haynes. He soon learns that his fellow guests may not be all they seem. For instance Sally Bourne, slim, pretty and bright. Mark and Clare Cooper, middle-aged, smartly-dressed and boring. Frank Larby, attorney and financial advisor. And onto this scene comes an unconventional, unpredictable local policeman, Captain K'Maka. He is soon confirming your worst fear - your wife has been murdered! The killer? Each of the hunters has a motive for killing Ann Haynes. Was it for something as simple as her jewellery ? Or something more involved, more sinister? As a storm rages overhead another brutal murder takes place. A second policeman, Aboo, wants to use the dark forces of a bygone age to find the culprit. K’Maka makes an arrest. But then the phone rings. Your wife may still be alive! The nightmare continues! And so to a stunning denouement, the guilty exposed, try to escape. But this is Africa. A savage justice awaits.

Love's a Luxury, 25th June to 2nd August
A comedy by Guy Paxton and Edward V. Hoile. Charles Pentwick, a flamboyant and successful theatrical producer is a very lucky man. He’s always surrounded by gorgeous actresses and attractive chorus girls. Only one problem. His wife is a jealous and suspicious woman. With just cause! To escape being henpecked, he and his actor friend Bobby Bentley flee to a country cottage. Ah the peace and quiet! Expecting to be greeted by the housekeeper, plain Mrs Harris, they find she is replaced by her pert and pretty daughter, Molly, whose eyes alight with delight on Bobby. Then the tantalising French starlet, Fritzy Villiers, who fancies Charles, descends on the cottage. So that when, unannounced, Mrs Charles Pentwick arrives, she reacts. Vehemently! Only one solution, decides Bobby, the actor. To make things look respectable, he will dress up and impersonate the housekeeper! Matters are further complicated when, Dick, the love-sick son of Charles, looking for paternal guidance, also appears. As does Mr Mole, the wonderfully dotty scout-master, camping nearby, who is confused by all these shenanigans. Events spin deliriously out of control and soon the whole cast are romping through a series of hilarious misunderstandings and mistaken identities. This glorious comedy is a delicious cocktail full of zest and fizz – guaranteed to send the audience home with a spring in their step and a twinkle in their eye.

Plaza Suite, 6th August to 6th September
A comedy by Neil Simon. Three different couples visit Suite 719 at the luxurious Plaza Hotel, and in so doing a hilarious comedy is created. The first visitors are Sam & Karen Nash who honeymooned in the suite twenty years ago. Karen romantically orders the same food they ate on their wedding night. And even more pointedly, has bought herself a glamorous nightie in an attempt to rekindle past passions. But Sam’s mind is on other things. A big business deal is eluding him. And he is continually losing the battle to keep young and fit. But for whom? For Kate? Or…? The second occupant is Jesse Kiplinger, a successful, vibrant film director. He has arranged a rendezvous with an old girlfriend from his school days. The gauche and nervous Muriel Tate arrives. And repeatedly stutters, ‘I’m a married woman!’ and ‘I really can’t stay another minute’. But, inevitably she is dazzled by Jesse’s aura of Hollywood magic. Will she succumb? Would you? The third couple are Norma and Roy Hubley who have hired the suite for their daughter’s glorious wedding day. However we never see Mimsy, the bride, as she has locked herself in the bathroom. ‘The marriage is off!’ declares Mimsy. The bridegroom, the minister, relatives, friends, wedding guests are all waiting downstairs. Not to mention an expensive feast. We watch as Norma and Roy threaten, cajole, curse, beg – anything! – to get their reluctant daughter out. Plaza Suite is one of Neil Simon’s best known and best loved plays and his wonderfully witty dialogue and sparkling humour will guarantee an evening of fun and laughter.

For more details

see the Mill's web site at www.millatsonning.com.