The dingy
dark smoke filled room above the Drayton Arms provides an atmospheric setting
for this fast moving slick American detective mystery with a strong well
rehearsed ensemble cast multitasking to reveal the tale of Vivian O’Connell's
quest to reclaim the title of America’s No 1 detective agency.
Anna
Marshall has directed , almost choreographed , every move, pose and scene
change with the all the cast on stage for most of the 80 minutes running time
and when not in the action, posing in white trench-coats and trilbies with a
lit cigarette hanging from their mouths as they observe the action like an army
of private investigators.
The delightful
music from a 2 piece band and singer Isabella Bassett is carefully blended into
the story from the opening 1928 “I want to be loved by you”, through a comical pink
panther dance and adding appropriate musical effects to underline the plot.
Together they create a fun and strong period feel to the evening.
The show is
simply set with a table and chair and a freestanding door. The door itself
becomes a major feature as it appears to get stuck, requiring the cast to walk
around it; if this was a gag, it didn't work and appeared to necessitate
various ad libs to cover the fault. One of the most effective scenes is where
the cast come together to create a car complete with headlights and interior
light.
The result
is a Philip Marlowe style story produced like the successful “39 Steps”
production which ran for so long in the West End.
The central
character Vivian, is played with a swagger and poise by Fleur de Wit, whether
talking directly to the audience under a swinging light or slowly revealing the
complex relationships between the other characters. She carries much of the
show. She is matched by Hamish Adams-Cairns as the current No 1 detective,
Bobby Munroe and his amusing English sidekick Teddy Worthington played with
English stoicism by Iain Gibbons.
The rest of
the cast is Alex Hinson as Betty Channing (who adopts a pose with hands on her
hips rather too often), Oliver-David Harrison as the gangster Larry Siegeli and
Siobhan Cha Cha as Joey Vincent, Vivian's sidekick. At times they could have slowed the pace of
their delivery to make a clearer impact through their American accents.
However
overall, this is a well produced fun evening and
deserves a longer run than its 4 nights at the Drayton Arms and offers those
not travelling to Edinburgh this month a best of the fringe evening in London.
Review by Nick Wayne
Rating: ★★★★
