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The bottom line is death
Victims all: Joanna Higson as Dee, Robert Gwylim as Stone and Paul Opacic as Hallet The Business of Murder
Malvern Theatres
**** LIKE a five-day
Test match in cricket or a five-setter at Wimbledon,
The Business of Murder
is a bit of a slow-burner that takes some time to wind up, but as a
result, creates a particularly powerful second act and climax to the
evening. The presence of just three players in the cast
and lengthy dialogue in the first act adds to the challenge: we are kept
waiting for the drama to really come alive after the Interval. Stone, played by Robert Gwilym, is a calculating
and somewhat disturbed character who decides he wants to exact a strange
kind of revenge for being falsely accused of the murder of his ex-wife
and son. His resentment towards the detective who hounded
and framed him and the journalist-turned-playwright who made capital out
of his story means he wants to expose their current affair together,
humiliate them and give them a dose of their own medicine. Early on we begin to sense that Stone is
unbalanced as well as nervy and excitable, despite the apparently
ordinary behaviour towards Hallett and Dee most of the time, but after a
while he is developing an increasingly macabre dimension. Robert Gwilym’s performance as Stone was strong;
his slightly unnerving and manic giggles from time to time, and sudden
switches from the socially friendly to the threatening, were very
effective though once or twice there was a hint of the melodramatic or
farcical as well. His menacing manner, deliberately but slowly giving
Dee the sense in act one that he might be about to kill her, was
excellent. Paul Opacic’s performance as Hallet was first
class. The tough and rather cynical detective was brilliantly portrayed
without being over-cooked. He was totally convincing and his selfish
behaviour towards his mistress seemed entirely natural. Dee, played by
Joanna Higson, was equally powerful. Her vulnerability was carefully
measured. She was a powerful and insightful balance to Hallett’s
tough cop exterior. The design for the show was excellent. The
projected scene of a suburban and residential street in the late
seventies or early eighties above the set added a sense of perspective
and wider context of great normality. The set itself was a very satisfying
cross-section of the bed-sit occupied by Stone. The variety of
intriguing props – rubber gloves, carving knives, bloodied towel all
concealed in a mysterious trunk - add to the questions surfacing in the
minds of the audience. The lighting was effectively used to suggest the
times of day or evening. The whole effect supported the performers
without distracting our attention from their actions and dynamics. The play overall is
quite long but after the exposition and preparation of the first act,
the intensity and drama of the second was excellent and it developed to
a highly theatrical climax. It is something of an intellectual teaser
reminiscent of Sleuth!
Is Richard Harris making any serious points about our criminal justice
system and the role of press and the arts? Probably not! He just wants
to pose the usual puzzles for the audience to figure out what is
happening between the lines and the characters, and get us on the edge
of our seats by the end of the play. He provides a very entertaining
evening which deserves good houses through the week. To 27-06-15 Tim Crow
23-06-15
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