The Selsey Players – Bognor Regis Observer – Friday, 30 October 1953

PAVILION, SELSEY. Films give way to live theatre for the Selsey Players' presentation of "DISTINGUISHED GATHERING," a mystery thriller by James Parish. The first performance is on Wednesday, the theatre being closed on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday for dress rehearsals. Eliot Richard Vines, an evil and discredited man-about-town, is about to publish a scurrilous book of memoirs in which he has pilloried many of his erstwhile acquaintances. Montague, his publisher, realizing that such publication would mean social ruin to a number of distinguished people, invites them to dinner to meet the author. Prior to Vines' arrival he acquaints them of the impending social catastrophe. His news is received with mingled horror astonishment and various means are discussed for suppressing publication, until Montague outlines an apparently fool-proof scheme for murdering him without anyone knowing the culprit. This scheme is eventually adopted. and, despite the clever deductions of an astute detective-inspector, the audience is left completely " in the dark" until the final curtain.