(4 / 5)
With 25 Rebus novels now in publication, Ian Rankin has certainly earned his crown as ‘Britain’s No.1 crime writer.’ Rebus is a hugely popular character, having been immortalised not only in Rankin’s books but also in two TV series, short stories and plays. Personally, I am not a big crime reader, but I do love a good mystery and was keen to cross-examine the characters in this brand new play by the author himself and Simon Reade.
The set perfectly captures the essence of the Edinburgh mansion of Harriet and Paul Goodwin. I was impressed by the obvious effort that had gone into creating this opulent house and particularly enjoyed the movement around the set using the two adjacent doors. The characters move about the space attempting to solve the game, Malice, a crime mystery game which Harriet has written for them all. The action all takes place in the dining room area which eventually leads to an oppressive feeling in Act Two when the characters are not allowed to leave.
Direction is ably handled by Loveday Ingram; the naturalistic approach of the character dialogue is excellent and makes the audience feel like we are truly looking into a ‘slice of life’ and we lose ourselves in the dialogue, no mean feat for a play that lasts almost 2 hours and takes place all in one room. It can all too easily become monotonous and boring, but the direction ensures that this is not the case, maintaining the audience interest throughout.
The casting is perfectly done; Jade Kennedy captures the essence of the 21st century ‘influencer’ with great success. The patronising explanations of social media to Rebus and the constant checking of her phone is eerily accurate of the new phenomenon of social media stars of today’s society. This could be entirely a stereotype, but Jade ably proves that Candida is much more than meets the eye, using her phone to obtain information that ultimately helps Rebus to solve the case and prove that she has brains as well as beauty. Jade struts around the stage and stands her own against Billy Hartman’s Jack Fleming.
Teresa Banham and Neil McKinven as Harriet and Paul Godwin play off each other to huge satisfaction. The character building here is perfectly captured by both actors, initially coming across as the perfect, happy couple but then building to something altogether more splintered and ruptured. The tension bubbles between the two performers in act two especially, especially after the audience has been lulled into a false sense of their perfection in Act One.
Abigail Thaw as lawyer, Stephanie Jeffries is a lynchpin of the action, delivering key information to the plot, sometimes holding back and creating a great sense of intrigue and intensity within the piece. Billy Hartman as Jack Fleming is the ultimate anti-hero, the obvious ‘shady’ character, whom we love anyway. The characterisation is perfect; we know he’s the ‘bad guy, the opposition to Rebus, but we love him anyway.
Finally, Gray O’Brian captures Rebus with ease; he is charismatic, he draws the audience to him with ease and the naturalism here is exceptional. We could really be looking in at a retired detective somehow caught up in a murder mystery game, I really enjoyed his direct to audience segments, cast in a single spotlight as the action moves slowly behind him. I also found myself leaning forward in my seat desperate to hear every word; this was true for every single actor on stage. The writing draws you as you want to solve the mystery for yourself and the dialogue is masterfully delivered by Gray and his fellow players.
Ultimately, this is a great evening out, a fantastic whodunnit, which transforms into dark secrets revealed and true characters being unveiled. If you love crime novels or guessing along with detective programmes on a dark, dreary night, then this is the perfect trip to the theatre for you. A great foray into ‘cosy crime,’ with a fantastically talented group of performers and a conclusion which you’ll never see coming!