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Author Peter James with actors Laura Whitmore and Shane Richie. Picture: Helen Maybanks Not Dead Enough
Malvern Theatres
*** THE ample house on the first night of
Peter James’s murder thriller is testimony to the fact that murder
fascinates so many of us, and we enjoy the excitement of imaginatively
entering a world that we hope not to encounter in real life! The thrill of the chase – the detective trying to
solve the mystery and catch the murderer before he reaches his next
victim – is pure and natural drama. Peter James is a prolific and hugely popular
author of detective novels and that excitement is transferred to the
live theatre at Malvern this week with considerable success. James’ detective, Roy Grace, is an earthy
character, seasoned by many years addressing the nastier aspects of
society. Here he is called upon to catch a killer with a fetish for gas
masks, violent sexual assaults and mysterious texts that seem to be his
signature whenever he kills. ‘Because he loves you’ is his calling card
and suggests a murderer who is consumed with jealousy for some hidden
reason. Plays of this kind are necessarily very
plot-driven – the enjoyment does not lie in figuring our profound
characters and exploring deeply significant social and ethical themes.
For this reason reviewers have to take care not to spoil the story by
describing the action in too much detail. Suffice it to say that when
the culprit is finally identified and his motives exposed, it does leave
many interesting questions unanswered regarding the earlier action, and
who exactly was doing what. Shane Richie is a very believable DS Roy Grace.
Grace has still not fully got over the loss of his first wife, he has
the earthy cynicism of a man confronted by human depravity. Richie
carries off the role with conviction and good pace. Laura Whitmore plays his love interest as the
mortician, Cleo Morley, in her first professional role and carries it
off with considerable vivacity and charm. Stephen Billington is Brian Bishop, the principal
suspect, and he has to play the innocent and appear as villain in equal
measure. He has a strong stage presence, though his accent varies at
times. The design for the play provides us with two
principal areas for the action: the mortuary and the police station in
Brighton. The action in the latter is divided between the offices and
the interviewing room. The lighting naturally provides a smooth and
swift transition between the locations. This enables the production to
move forward at a good pace. There were a few moments during the performance
when the audience was moved to laugh. This plot ultimately stretches
credulity and leaves unanswered questions, but the audience were
nonetheless gripped for much of the evening and there were a few
chilling moments as well. To 25-02-17 Tim Crow 20-02-17 |
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