Surrendering a writer’s urge to dwell overly upon the history of Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight, a highly popular stage thriller, I will immediately express a five star admiration for this current Lace Market Theatre production. Quite simply, it ranks at the very top of many wonderful productions seen and reviewed by us at this superb quality amateur venue. It is extraordinarily professional on all counts; the top notch acting, stellar direction, set and lighting design, costumes, sound and atmospherics. From Hamilton’s psychologically gripping stage text, director Polis Loizou, has created a menacing thriller that actually thrills. The audience are so drawn into the Victorian world of gas-lighting and the cruelty of human manipulations, and it’s so realistic, that we sometimes forget we are watching a piece of onstage drama. Consequently, I find myself tensing up and holding my breath several times this evening. And breathe…
The gothic set design created by Alexandrea Hopkirk-Spratt is almost a character in itself – a living -breathing -creaking -shadowy embodiment of a middle-class home that is most un-welcoming. It is genuinely spooky. Nick Gale’s creepy lighting design adds to the suffocating shadowy atmospheres. The fine-detailed and exquisitely well-chosen costumes are curated by Max Bromley and Sue Roberts.
The principal characters are Bella Manningham (Kareena Sims), Jack Manningham (Alastair Murden), Inspector Rough (Charles Moss), and Nancy (Holly Clarke). Bringing up the rear and a silver breakfast tray of tea and crumpets is Anne McCarroll as Elizabeth the dutiful fifty year -old house servant.
Described as a handsome, well-dressed man of forty-five, Alastair Murden fits the bill of portraying Mr Jack Manningham exactly, prepossessing period beard and all. Superficially charming, like the devil is said to be, Burden puts the burdens of guilt and insecurity and madness directly into the mind and fragile shoulders of his innocent wife and acts the role of a cunning manipulating torturer superbly. When he eventually shouts the audience practically jump en masse. His affair, with the attractive, conniving eighteen year-old serving girl Nancy (Holly Cooke) is chilling and the acting out of their duplicitous nature is very convincing. Cooke plays the coquetish Nancy with a perfect blend of trouble-making naivety and bold seduction.
Kareena Sims barely leaves the stage for practically nine tenths of this play and she is supremely good as the ever preyed upon, frightened, nervous, emotionally-drained wreck that is Mrs Bella Manningham. Sims’ character is younger than her husband. She is an attractive Victorian lady whose torturous existence in the Manningham home is aging her physically and mentally by the hour. Where does her husband keep disappearing to and why does she need to lock herself in her room? Kareena Sims is a highly-skilled actress capable of expressing a lot with the simplest of intelligently considered attitudes, even in expressing her character’s slowly impending insanity. In the case of fine portrayal of her main role, less is more and her acting is of a very professional standard. The plot dictates that Mrs Manningham desperately needs a helping hand, a mentor, to unravel and straighten out the gross disquiet of her mind. Knock knock who is there? It is Inspector Rough himself appearing like a cigar-smoking, whisky-drinking phantom drifting in out of the foggy streets. But is he another figment of her febrile imaginings?
A friendly and intellectually compelling middle-aged man, Inspector Rough (Charles Moss) comes to the aid of Mrs Mannigham by revealing secrets and mysteries of years past. Moss cleverly creates a degree of secrecy about himself as he puts the pieces together of the Manningham puzzle. He is a sort of a cross between a British Columbo and Inspector Goole from An Inspector Calls. His ‘saucy shirt’ line gets one of the rare laughs in this serious drama. In terms of acting the role convincingly, Moss is matchless even down to inhabiting his tough copper’s boots and well-worn, suitable for all weathers, detective’s outdoor coat.
Avoiding spoilers we’ll suffice it to say that Luke Willis and James Whitby also feature in the drama.
Gaslight runs at the Lace Market Theatre until Saturday 27th September. Saturday matinée is showing as Sold Out. The whole of the remaining performances deserve to be. It’s a cracker!
Photos credit: Kathryn Edwards.
