Bill Kenwright’s Classic Thriller Theatre is at Milton Keynes Theatre with a production of murder mystery The Case of the Frightened Lady.
The show is based on a play from 1931 by Edgar Wallace, a prolific author who wrote many mystery novels and the original screenplay for King Kong.
This is an intriguing mystery with plenty of twists and turns including a major surprise just before the interval which will confound any armchair detectives in the audience and an action packed climax.
The story opens with a fancy dress party at Mark’s Priory, the grand ancestral home of the Lebanon family, where a dizzying array of characters are introduced in quick succession before one of them falls victim to a murder.
Inspector Tanner is called in to investigate and finds a strange household where servants lurk in the shadows, listening and everyone seems on edge and shifty. The lady of the house is obsessed with protecting her family bloodline and has a strange relationship with the family doctor who seems to control things and the secretary Isla is afraid for her life. As the Inspector gets closer to the truth, he discovers a shocking secret.
Making his stage debut as the Inspector's assistant is Oliver Phelps who appeared in every Harry Potter film as George Weasley, one of Ron's older twin brothers.
Although he has starred in one of the most successful film franchises of all time, Oliver's performance lacked confidence and he doesn't yet seem comfortable on stage. He was joined by Deborah Grant, who has starred in the BBC’s Not Going Out and Bergerac, Gray O'Brien, who played villainous businessman Tony Gordon in Coronation Street, and Denis Lill, who starred as the much-loved character of Mr Rose in the long-running TV series The Royal.
This is a very cleverly written mystery but the staging lacked creativity and too many scenes were static dialogue with little movement.
At times, actors are facing away from the audience as they deliver their lines which makes it hard to hear and there are a couple of occasions where off stage screams and thunderclaps are played in at such a high volume, it could be members of the audience who need medical attention.
The set was very minimal and unchanging with sections which could not be seen from the sides of the theatre as it had been designed for smaller stages and with several exceptions, some of the acting was at times quite stilted and dry.
After a confusing and rushed opening scene, the play settles down into an enjoyable and intriguing mystery which is easily signposted and leads to a satisfying conclusion which makes sense without leaving any major plot holes behind.
The Case of the Frightened Lady is at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, May 26.
Tickets are available here
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