Review: The Case of the Frightened Lady

A classic thriller is in town this week at Milton Keynes Theatre. Adapted from Edgar Wallace’s original classic mystery, brought to us by The Classic Thriller Theatre Company and produced by Bill Kenwright, you’re in for a sophisticated night of murder, chills and great acting.

When Inspector Tanner is called in to investigate a murder at Mark’s Priory, the grand ancestral home of the Lebanon family, he quickly discovers that nothing is quite as it seems. As Tanner moves closer to the heart of the mystery he uncovers a shocking and closely guarded secret. You’ll meet various members of the Lebanon family as well as their servants and butlers and will discover snippets of their secrets throughout the play as the story unfolds.

It was a fantastic performance from all the cast and I especially loved to see Oliver Phelps as Detective Sergeant Totti (aka George Weasley, a Harry Potter obsessive through and through!). I believe this was his theatre debut and although a shame he didn’t have a bigger part with more dialogue, it was a great performance.

The stage was a simple but perfect ‘courtyard’, a central hall within Mark’s Priory between the main house and the servant’s quarters where all the action takes place. The walls are adorned with many coats of arms showing the history of the family and an old dresser to highlight the family’s secrets. A few tricks of lighting tell you another day has passed. There were also some fantastic costumes of the 1930’s era which is when the play is set (1932).

With a couple of spine-tingling screams and claps of thunder thrown in, this was a thoroughly enjoyable evening of classic whodunit.

For tickets, visit www.atgtickets.com

REVIEW: Not Dead Enough at MK Theatre

Not Dead Enough at MK Theatre

Tuesday 30th January 2017

 

This play is just what the theatre needs at the moment. Let’s blow the cobwebs away this new year and watch a good old crime thriller from the celebrated author Peter James. Slowly his plays are being adapted to the stage and are very closely adhering to the script of the book. This is because Peter is fully involved in bringing his work to the stage and is passionate about his craft. Surprisingly enough his Detective Grace novels haven`t reached TV so all the better for us theatre goers.

Not Dead Enough was expertly crafted and executed (if that’s the right word bearing in mind the story line) with a polished performance from a well-chosen cast. We all know Shane Ritchie who played Detective Grace and can only marvel at his versatility in the many roles he has played over his acting career.

The story centres on Brian Bishop, played by Stephen Billington, who is the chief suspect for the murder of his wife but he claims to be 60 miles away at the time of the crime. Stephen who likes to play bad boys can easily turn the charm on to disarm you.  The whole cast gave an excellent performance with moments of humour scattered throughout the play. They really gelled as an acting team.

The stage was well defined into different areas, where the central stories play out. The lighting was used to great effect during the darker scenes. At first the sound was a little low but that was soon addressed as the cast settled into their first night in MK Theatre.

If you like reading the crime novels of Peter James, one of the best crime writers of all time, then don`t miss the opportunity to see this story brought to life.

The play is on till Saturday 4^th February.

Tickets from www.atgtickets.com/Miltonkeynes or telephone 0844 871 7652 (booking fee applies)