Considering the Bermudian obsession with drama and scandal, it?s surprising that a play like ?Ebbtide?, a local tale of ?manners, morals and murder?, hasn?t been written sooner.

?Ebbtide? is directed by filmmaker Arthur Rankin Jr. and co-written by Mr. Rankin and Mid-Ocean News editor Tim Hodgson.

Set in the 1930s, the play takes place entirely within the walls of ?Ebbtide?, an old Bermuda mansion where the eccentricities of generations past manifest in the habits of the current occupant and heir, Richard Craven.

As the play opens, Richard Craven has returned home with a new bride, New England socialite Lydia. However, it soon becomes evident that the marriage, they jokingly toast, is one of ?convenience which will hopefully not inconvenience either party?.

It is a second marriage for both Richard and Lydia, who plan to use their newly wedded status as a means of dispelling the social stigma following the death of their first spouses.

Richard?s wife died by drowning and Lydia?s husband was killed by multiple gunshot wounds ? both Richard and Lydia are suspects in the unusual deaths.

The marriage is doubly convenient for Richard, who hopes that ?Ebbtide?, his ancestral home crumbling under the weight of gambling debts, will be restored thanks to the largesse of Lydia, who became a wealthy widow after her first husband was murdered.

The play begins with a closed curtain as the song ?Ebbtide?, played by Bermudian pianist Peter Carpenter, is piped through onstage speakers.

Although the music itself was lovely, the extended delivery seemed a device more appropriate to film than theatre ? that?s the point when opening credits would ordinarily be rolling.

All told, the first half of the play is fairly sound ? it?s based on an engaging premise, and we meet an interesting cast of characters who offer identifiable Bermudian experiences and humour.

Will Kempe, who plays brash Bermudian landowner Richard, has some of the best lines in the production ? witticisms which will sound pleasantly familiar to anyone who has ever read Tim Hodgson?s opinion columns about Bermudian culture.

However, he is also the character most affected by a narrative dilemma which remains unsolved throughout the play ? is this meant to be a comedy, a drama, a tragicomedy, or something else altogether?

Mr. Kempe?s character is a recognisable Bermudian, one whose habits and attitudes encompass some of the best and all of the worst of his class; however, there are several times when his devil-may-care attitude dips more toward caricature than character.

Julia Bolton, who plays the ?black widow? Lydia, certainly delivers the attitude of the cultured sophisticate (although her relentless references to Japanese culture felt rather superfluous).

However, her strong British accent makes the idea of her being an sophisticate rather unbelievable. Although Ms Bolton?s acting was fairly good, she jumbled and stumbled through plenty of lines ? perhaps simply the effect of opening night jitters, but less excusable for a formally-trained actress.

Danjou Anderson, who plays the tenacious Inspector Fox, is certainly the shining light in this production. Although his motivations are easily guessed from the onset, the dogged determination with which Inspector Fox pursues his suspect is quite engaging.

Mr. Anderson played the part of the proud and occasionally scornful officer with an air of humorous irony which lent much to the character.

Tracey Lynn Harney, who played Richard?s servant and unwilling mistress Cattleya, added a great deal of physical grace to her part. However, her delivery was quite wooden, even during the more emotional scenes. And Arthur Wade, who played Cattleya?s father and Richard?s houseman Chappy, was not a particularly memorable character.

Despite the flawed promise of Act One, the second half of the play becomes quite bad, quite quickly.

The first half of the play sets up some interesting racial, sexual, and gender dynamics, important considering how such issues are often ignored or glossed over in many Bermudian productions.

Unfortunately, in Act Two, it became painfully clear that the promise of these dynamics is to be lost, excised with a blunt knife.

The racial issues were resolved predictably and reductively, whereas the issues regarding sexual orientation were treated equally reductively and inevitably used to titillate as a means of filling the absence of real drama.

The climax of the play seemed to come out of nowhere, building abruptly and unsatisfactorily, topped off with a rather strange kerfuffle between the male characters.

And the final scene in which the ?means, motive, and opportunity? for both murders become clear, breaks one of the cardinal rules of good fiction writing: show, don?t tell.

Without giving too much away, it?s safe to say that the extended chat between virtual strangers about the murder seemed a blithe, convenient, and implausible way of explaining everything and tying up loose ends.

And finally, the sound effects were simply not helpful. The screeching longtails in Act One were okay, but the whinnying horse announcing Richard?s arrival in Act Two caused the otherwise generous audience to erupt in laughter at a moment that was not intended to be funny.

Although promising, the underlying narrative of ?Ebbtide? proved a weak foundation. A few more rounds of editing would do the script a world of good.