Death Goes Dancing Trivia Quiz

Answer: Frances Gilbride

Frances Gilbride was looking forward to an evening out with her husband. With her commitments as a violinist in the South British Orchestra, and his unpredictable working hours, it was a treat that they didn't often manage. After an early dinner, they settled into the box at the theatre to enjoy an evening of ballet. The first was a short modern ballet called 'Mediterranean Madness'. It would last just over half an hour, and then be followed by the classic - 'Giselle'.

Their happy evening was to be cut short, and Frances would have to go home alone, as her husband found himself back on duty sooner than they hoped or expected.

Answer: Leonina Moon

Leonina Moon was dancing the role of a young English girl, in an Italian harbour village, who was in love with Love. During the scene change half way through the ballet, both Frances Gilbride and her husband commented on the fact that Leonina Moon hadn't seemed to be quite at her best; there was nothing wrong with her dancing technique, but she seemed to be slightly distracted or out of sorts.

Later enquiries revealed that there had been a row during the company ballet practice earlier that day. Sarne Saxilby, tired of rumours about her possible retirement, had accused Leonina Moon of wanting to take her place as prima ballerina. She, Sarne, would retire when she was ready and not before, and Leonina was not to think anything else would happen.

Answer: Dale Valentyn

Dale Valentyn took the role of the fisherman, Pietro, who opened the girl's eyes to Love. Dale Valentyn was Leonina Moon's usual dancing partner. Although no announcement had yet been made, it was expected that the two would be getting married. Both were expected to dance for many years to come, becoming the principal dancers in the company after the current duo reached retirement.

When the murder weapon was examined, it was discovered to be a knife which Dale had brought back after a tour to Spain. He frequently danced the lead role in a modern ballet called 'Scarlet Fiesta' which included a scene with a knife; the souvenir from Spain was much more effective than the prop knife he had previously used.

Answer: Lucien Darielle

During the interval before 'Giselle' was due to start, Frances and her husband were surprised by a visit from Lucien Darielle, the owner of both the theatre and the ballet company. He had given them the seats at the theatre that evening because he was grateful for the recovery of his sister's jewels after a theft.

Later, Lucien Darielle told DI Gilbride that there had been a party on stage after the previous evening's performance because it was Sarne Saxilby's birthday. Many of the cast and crew had been present, as had her ex-husband, Sebastian Knight, and also two former lovers - an Italian businessman and a French playwright. There had been a cake, and somebody suggested that Dale Valentyn's Spanish knife should be used to cut it.

Answer: Ewen Gilbride

When Lucien Darielle arrived, Detective Inspector Ewen Gilbride, of Scotland Yard, realised that something was wrong, and asked if he could help. He was astonished to be told that the prima ballerina had been found dead in her dressing room. Lucien Darielle led the Inspector away from the box, and down to the backstage regions.

DI Gilbride was a balletomane, and had often wondered what it was like backstage. Now, he thought ruefully as they wended their way through a maze of passages and stairs, he was likely to know all too well.

Answer: Thora Rose

The assistant stage manager, Mr, Barlow, was standing outside the No. 1 dressing room to make sure that nobody entered and disturbed anything. Nearby was Thora Rose, the ballerina's dresser, who appeared to be coming round from a faint. Mr. Barlow had rushed to the room on hearing a scream.

Mrs. Rose had been with the company for many years and knew what Sarne Saxilby wanted. The ballerina liked to be ready early, and then would relax with a magazine till it was time to go on stage. However, Mrs. Rose told DI Gilbride that Sarne Saxilby was expecting a visitor that evening, and also mentioned a note from her daughter. The dresser left the room at about the same time as the first ballet was starting around half past seven.

Answer: Sarne Saxilby

On entering the room, DI Gilbride saw Sarne Saxilby sitting slumped at her dressing table. She was dressed in her peasant costume ready for the first act of 'Giselle', but there was a knife sticking out of her back, and she was obviously dead.

When DI Gilbride examined the room he found flowers which were presumed to have come from Lorenzo Antonini, a small silver cigarette lighter with the initials LA, and also a short letter, from Sarne Saxilby's daughter Bronwen, which had been thrown away.

Answer: Ronnan Matthews

Word was spreading amongst the ballet company, and people were gathering in the corridor wondering what was going on. Lucien Darielle told all the cast and crew that they would have to carry on with 'Giselle'. The audience were not to know that anything serious was wrong. He would ask Leonina Moon to take the role of Giselle. Seeing the shocked face of Ronnan Matthews, who had been Sarne Saxilby's dancing partner for many years, he also sent someone to tell Dale Valentyn to take the part of Albrecht.

On hearing that his partner had been stabbed with a knife, Ronnan Matthews looked bleak and unbelieving, and went back to his dressing room to find a drink. He said he had been in his dressing room throughout the first ballet, although his dresser had been absent part of that time. However he had looked out of the door to see if anyone could give him a light for his cigarette, and had found Sebastian Knight passing who offered a box of matches.

Answer: Jacob Berne

Jacob Berne had been Ronnan Matthews' dresser for about five years. Previously he had been the dresser for Sebastian Knight when he danced with the company.

The dresser was in Ronnan Matthews' dressing room during the performance of 'Mediterranean Madness'. However he was astonished to find a bad tear in the costume needed for Albrecht in the second half of 'Giselle'. He was usually very careful to check everything before it was put away, so he went straight upstairs to the wardrobe department so that it could be repaired before it was needed later. He was away for about fifteen minutes from 7.35 to 7.50.

Answer: Thomas Hillcrest

DI Gilbride locked the No. 1 dressing room door and went to see the doorman at the Stage Door to make sure that nobody would leave the theatre until he gave permission. He also needed to use the telephone to call Scotland Yard for assistance. The police surgeon confirmed the time of death as "between seven-forty and eight-ten", so just before or during the second part of 'Mediterranean Madness'.

Thomas Hillcrest was stunned by the news; he also felt that the death was his fault. He was supposed to stay on duty at the Stage Door all the time, but there had been an accident outside and he had gone to see if he could help. He had been away from his post from just after the start of the first ballet until just after it finished.

Answer: Sebastian Knight

Sebastian Knight was the choreographer for both 'Mediterranean Madness' and 'Scarlet Fiesta'; both ballets had been created for Leonina Moon to take the female lead part. He was also responsible for several other short ballets, as well as some longer works, many of which were in the repertoire of the Darielle Company.

Although Sarne Saxilby had divorced Sebastian Knight for infidelity, the two had remained on reasonably good terms for the sake of their daughter, Bronwen. However, there were rumours that Sebastian Knight was still in love with his ex-wife, and that he was jealous of her subsequent lovers. He told DI Gilbride that he had hoped to talk to Sarne Saxilby about their daughter and her future, but when he went to the dressing room, he heard voices inside, one sounding like a foreign man.

Answer: Bronwen Knight

Bronwen Knight was a pupil at the Darielle School; her mother was determined that her daughter would follow in her footsteps and become a ballerina. Bronwen had other ideas, but found it difficult to tell her mother about them. At home, she usually went to school before her mother was up in the morning, and if she had a rehearsal after school, her mother would have left for the theatre before Bronwen returned home. The two were looked after by a housekeeper, Mrs. Parry, who was very protective of her employer.

In desperation, Bronwen had sent a letter to her mother, saying that she would come to the theatre to see her at half past seven. She pleaded with her mother to be allowed to leave the ballet school, and live in the country and learn to work with animals. Her mother refused to listen to the idea, and sent her away because she was expecting another visitor.

Answer: Lorenzo Antonini

Lorenzo Antonini was in London on a business trip, so Sarne Saxilby had asked him to her party. It was assumed that the pair had been lovers for a while after her divorce from Sebastian Knight, but they remained good friends after the affair. He frequently sent her flowers and other gifts, and often came to watch her dance. He had seen several performances earlier in the week, and would be flying back to Italy on the evening when the murder occurred.

DI Gilbride had to travel to Milan to talk to Lorenzo Antonini, who said that he had been to see Sarne Saxilby on the evening she was killed, but he had been sent away very quickly because she was expecting another visitor, Gregoire Jerome.

Answer: Gregoire Jerome

Gregoire Jerome was an up and coming French playwright. He had been Sarne Saxilby's lover some time after she finished with Lorenzo Antonini. He had heard that the dancer was considering retirement and, although their affair had been over for a while, he suggested that she might like to take a long break at his large house in Concarneau, Brittany. The offer was made during the birthday party, and he was expecting an answer the following evening. However the traffic was very bad, and he was much later arriving at the theatre than he intended.

DI Gilbride had to travel to Concarneau to talk to Gregoire Jerome. At first he denied ever having been anywhere near the theatre on the night of the murder, but eventually he admitted to arriving at about eight o'clock. The doorman was away from his post, but Gregoire Jerome hurried along to Sarne Saxilby's dressing room. There was no reply when he knocked at the door, and he thought she might already be on stage. He opened the door and looked in, and was horrified to find her dead. He beat a hasty retreat and caught the night train back to Paris.

Answer: Pelagia Perrit

Pelagia Perrit was a young and promising member of the corps de ballet. She had been the subject of an article entitled 'From Corps de Ballet to Ballerina', which compared her life to that of Sarne Saxilby. When DI Gilbride talked to all the members of the corps de ballet he thought she seemed agitated.

On his return from Italy and France, DI Gilbride found a letter from Pelagia Perrit asking if she could call and see him. However, it was too late - her body had been found in a dark lane near her home. Further questioning of her friends in the corps de ballet revealed that she had been to the stage door to look for any post during the first ballet on the night of the murder, and might have seen something or someone significant.