A murder is to take place this evening.

That’s according to the local paper.

Not this paper and not a real murder, fortunately, but an intriguing start to Agatha Christie’s ’A Murder is Announced’ performed by Hog the Limelight at Port St Mary Town Hall from Thursday, March 21 to Saturday, March 23.

Hogs are a young drama group but they’ve already achieved accolades, they had tremendous successes with ’Abigail’s Party’, ’A Bunch of Amateurs’ and the multi-award-winning one act play ’The Perfect Gentleman’.

This production starts with an announcement in the Chipping Cleghorn Gazette stating the time and place when a murder is to occur - that very evening in Letitia Blacklock’s Victorian house Little Paddocks!

The village is buzzing with excitement. Will the murder take place? Who will be the victim? A number of village characters ’just happen to visit’ at the advertised time to see what happens and what follows is a classic Agatha Christie puzzle of mixed motives, concealed identities and complications.

The suspects include a dotty friend Bunny, Edmund a cynical writer, Phillipa a young war widow, and the very temperamental foreign housekeeper, Mitzi.

Can the determined Inspector Craddock solve the case, grimly following the unexpected developments and revelations as the plot twists and turns, with Miss Marple ever on hand to help in a dramatic and unexpected final scene?.

The play starts at 7.30pm (doors open at 7pm).

Tickets, at £10 (including a free glass of wine or soft drink in the interval) are available from Calvert’s Newsagents in Port St Mary, Mal’s Butchers in Port Erin or by calling 833372.