Review: Picture You Dead, Newcastle Theatre Royal
Susan Wear reports back from a new Peter James stage adaptation
The popularity of crime writing seems unstoppable in books, radio, film and especially on the streaming channels.
No matter it’s a little unlikely there’ll be a murder on one Caribbean island, or a field in Northumberland, every week at 9pm on a Thursday, the audience figures keep the new commissions and repeats coming.
Always the irascible police chief with their little quirks and fashions, their incredible second sight. And always at least 10 possible endings mooted in the first ten minutes with enough implausible twists creating the suspense and drama.
But who doesn’t love to try to solve a crime? The thrill of guessing whodunnit and why is what keeps many of us glued to the end of the series, already checking when the next series is due.
Internationally acclaimed thriller author Peter James’s novels about the Brighton supercop Roy Grace have sold over 23 million copies and we’re into season six of the drama series GRACE.
If that wasn’t enough suspense, you can also go see the intricately researched original stories on stage and watch, heart in mouth as a group of real live people aka professional actors play out the story every night knowing they cannot miss a beat - or we might miss an important clue.
The latest, Picture You Dead, adapted by Shaun McKenna, features the much-loved character, played by John Simm on TV. But the really winning thing about this production is the story which is based on a true crime and even endorsed by the real life protagonist, master art forger, sorry copyist, David Henty.
So cynicism and disbelief can be safely put aside as the story of a couple, the Kiplings, who find - guess what - a masterpiece at a car boot sale for £20. They appear on the ‘antiques show’ and a tale of art heists, forgery, greedy art dealers and terrible skullduggery unfolds.
The cast – many of them familiar faces on stage and screen - fill their roles with gusto and the show is fast moving, punchy (very punchy) and full of shocks and surprises.
I’d like to say it feels like a very cosy, familiar setting with the Kiplings fixing up their modern flat on one half of the stage, while art collector Stuart Piper, played by a dastardly Nichalas Maude, and his business associate and femme fatale Roberta Kilgore, played by Jodie Steele inhabit a palatial mansion on the other side. But of course it sets a false sense of security so don’t get comfortable.
George Rainsford returns for the role of Grace in this tour, but he’s not the predominant character. He and his sidekick Bella Moy (Gemma Stroyan) are a calm presence, quietly revealing important facts throughout; Fiona Wade and Ben Cutler play the Kiplings and Peter Ash is the David Henty-based character, David Hegarty. Adam Morris and Mark Otoby, Oliver de Souza and Archie Goff respectively complete cast.
They all circumnavigate the many scene changes and intricate script twists moving fast across the multi-faceted set and doing exactly what a stage thriller needs the actors to do – hold the audience’s attention and keep them guessing until the end.
The set, by Adrian Linford, lighting by Jason Taylor and melodramatic sound by composer Max Pappenheim all deserve a mention for creating just the right atmosphere.
The play fulfils its promise – gives nothing away until the end and never quite becomes a parody, but there’s definitely a little bit of the tongue heading towards the cheek - which is absolutely fine and makes another great night out at the theatre.
Picture You Dead is at Newcastle Theatre Royal until Saturday (May 17). For tickets, visit the website.