The theatre at the Mill at Sonning offers Dinner Theatre for
up to 215 people and always presents an appealing season of plays. First up
this year is an adaptation of a Peter James’s novel set in Brighton and based
around his detective superintendent Roy Grace, first presented at the Dartford
Orchard Theatre in 2015 followed by a nationwide tour. Peter James’s novels detective mysteries with
twist and turns that are said to mean you can’t put the book down. This tale
certainly keeps you guessing.
This story is based around the stag night prank on Michael
Harrison that goes horribly wrong and sets up an ever changing set of events
that spiral towards the dramatic conclusion.
The challenge is shoehorning eight different locations into
the small Mill thrust stage with no flying capacity, no proscenium arch and no
understage. This is always the problem for the set designer at this venue and
it requires an ingenious solution or fewer locations. Alex Marker’s set creates
the different locations in one composite set but this naturally restricts the
acting spaces and the low ceiling means some key scenes are set in a restricted second level
which limits the action and the audience view.
This problem, combined with the over reliance on a walkie
talkie and mobile phones to develop the drama
and reveal key plot development , severely restrict the adaption as a
theatrical event. The story still
intrigues the audience but one is left with a sense that it works better as a
novel or perhaps a multi location TV drama.
The cast of nine main actors struggle to really develop
their characters or sustain the tension in this version and too often the
audience has time to reflect on the plot holes and are tempted to talk during
the show! The best performances are from Louise Stewart as Ashley Harper, the fiancée
of Michael Harrison, who is played by Lewis Collier and by Daniel Buckley as
Davey Wheeler, the son of a recovery vehicle driver who accidently finds
himself in pivotal role in the mystery.
The two detectives, Roy Grace played by Gwynfor Jones and
Detective Sergeant Branson played by Vincent Jerome have little opportunity to
do more that detect and explain the plot and Branson spends far too long on his
mobile to an offstage character , Bella, to explain the detective work going
on!
Matt Milburn, Josh Harvey, Bradley Stanbridge and Aneta
Piotronwska play the other supporting character but with limited stage time.
The surprises when they come don’t really shock although the
cast work hard to portray the twists and turns but if you are a fan of the
novel or already know Roy Grace as a character; it offers a very pleasant
evening at the Mill.
Reviewed by Nick Wayne
Rating: ★★
