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REVIEW: Wish You Were Dead
REVIEW: Wish You Were Dead – Mayflower 6 June 2023
Reviewed by Mark Ponsford
I do love a good stage thriller! And if it comes with a dark and foreboding set, then so much the better. Thus, the current tour of Peter James’ Wish You Were Dead had my attention from the outset….although I’d already been intrigued by the title, which let’s face it, is nothing if not blunt and to the point.
The difficulty in reviewing a thriller is the avoidance of any overt spoilers, but it gives nothing away to say that this foreboding place turns out to be a Chateau in “Rural France”, now used as a holiday destination, and as soon as Detective Superintendent Roy Grace arrives, along with wife, baby, and their American friend Kaitlynn, we instinctively know that it’s not going to be quite the uneventful vacation they were hoping for. (Why would it? This is D.S. Grace!)
Despite the raging storm which heralds their arrival, they’ve all managed to remain bone-dry (although only a cynical old thing like me would pay too much attention to that), and they soon encounter a French housekeeper whose character appears to be pitched halfway between Madame Giry and Mrs Danvers, and whose presence is immediately intriguing.
It isn’t long before the guests are unsettled by mysterious sounds from the floor above, not to mention a particular framed photograph that seems almost too remarkable to be true, and we know we’re unlikely to be in for a quiet night.
And it’s a splendidly entertaining night, too, even if subtlety isn’t always the key word. Certain clues are somewhat heavily signposted, and some of the dialogue veers towards Cliche Central, but that’s all part of the fun, and everyone plays it commendably straight, thereby avoiding the camp it might otherwise have veered towards.
It’s also fair to say that there are some cleverly constructed moments of tension (not least due to that ingenious design), along with a good quota of laughs, even if the latter might not always come from the sources you might expect. Act One builds and develops soundly and strong, and if the second half could still do with a certain amount of tightening, it nevertheless neatly wraps up the twists and turns of the plot, and holds the attention throughout.
George Rainsford’s Roy Grace is bang on the money (it’s great to see him back onstage, following his fine work in TV Drama), and there’s a believable warmth and rapport between him and Katie McGlynn, as Cleo, while Gemma Stroyan’s Kaitlynn and Rebecca McKinnis’ Madame L’Eveque provide strong support.
I’d advise anyone not to study the programme prior to seeing the play, as inadvertently or not, you might find one or two giveaways. But at the end of the day, if you’re a fan of Roy Grace – or even if you’re not – this is a pleasant (if occasionally tense) way to spend an evening, and the enthusiastic warmth of the applause at the curtain call was more than sufficient proof of that.
There’s only one thing that still concerns me: If you’re hiding in a room from someone with evil intent, it might be an idea not to talk QUITE so loudly….!
