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A plot anything but simple Dead Simple
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
**** PETER James’ Roy Grace detective series
is well known and well loved. Dead Simple started life as a novel and
has been adapted for the stage cleverly by Shaun McKenna and it makes a
gripping, chilling addition to the stage repertoire. As a story it grew out of Peter James’
claustrophobia and an analysis of the human deepest fears – being alone
and being buried alive. If you have claustrophobia on top, it makes for a
few gruelling minutes. But there’s also some humour, mostly black humour
from the police and wonderful lighter moments from Davey Wheeler. Michael Harrison (Jamie Lomas), unseemly rich His stag night looms. Friend and business partner
Mark Warren (Rik Makarem) assures him that nothing is planned. But as
the night draws nigh, with Mark away in Circumstances conspire that he cannot be freed.
His only contact is Davey Wheeler (Josh Brown), the son of a tow truck
company, who, for reasons of his own, is unable to do anything. So far,
so bad. ‘Sweetly angelic’ (!) fiancee Ashley Harper (Tina
Hobley) and ‘Uncle Bo’ from It’s time for the police to be involved.
Detective Superintendent Roy Grace (Gray O’Brien) is in trouble for
involving a psychic, Zoe Frame (Sarah Baxendale), in an investigation,
so Ashley, on the quiet, provides him with Michael’s bracelet. Detective Sergeant Branson (Marc Small) provides
a foil for Roy Grace and together, with different methods they find and
free Michael Harrison. But are they in time? And who’s been playing a
part? A brilliant set on two levels that really earns
its keep, clever writing and plot that, though Roy Grace announces it to
be ‘dead simple’, is anything but. Directed by Ian Talbot, there is a
high corpse count, granted, and the dead do seem to be the simple,
trusting souls. To 31-01-15 Jane Howard
26-01-15
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