Looking Good Dead, New Theatre, Cardiff Review

Reviewed by Mrs_Taylor

What a night! It was a cold rainy miserable day in Cardiff but upon turning the corner and seeing all the people milling around in the foyer from inside New Theatre I knew it was about to get better! It was my first time back to the theatre in several years so I was incredibly excited.

New Theatre is right in the heart of Cardiff – close to City Hall and the museum which makes it super easy to get to. It is a lovely theatre, over 100 years old that is steeped in history! It has had many famous people perform in it including Anthony Hopkins, Vanessa Redgrave and Sir Ian McKellan to name a few.

Due to the weather I arrived slightly later than planned but I had just enough time to pick up my tickets and go to the toilet (nothing special but clean and no queue!) before heading up to the circle. I did really like that when you arrived there was a clock in the foyer which showed what time the performance ended – in my case 10 to 10.

My seats were fantastic. They were really comfy, in the circle and had a great view of the stage. Having said that due to the layout of this theatre it is clear that all the seats have a great view! I also liked that at the front of my seat was a little pair of red binoculars which you could pay £1 to use. I didn’t need to use them but it was nice to have the option.

The two main characters Tom Bryce and Kellie Bryce were played by Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale in Eastenders) and Gaynor Faye (who was in the latest version of The Syndicate) and they were fantastic as a bickering husband and wife but I would say the stand out performance for me was Luke Ward-Wilkinson who played the son, Max Bryce. He was very believable as the eye-rolling frustrated teenager.

The play is a thriller based on a novel by Peter James. As the title suggests it does include murder and it certainly has you sitting at the edge of your seat! I hadn’t actually read this particular novel and I was glad because it meant I had no idea what was coming next! It was gripping and I did spend most of the interval trying to work out what was going to happen next.

The stage setting was brilliant as you had 3 different settings (a kitchen/ living area, a police station and a warehouse) and the way they used lighting and movable stages to create these areas was simple but very effective! They managed to make the warehouse creepy and dark while the living room looked like a very well-kept family home.

In the interval it was very easy to get a drink as they had two bars open as well as a separate area to buy ice cream and chocolates. They had a great selection of wines, beers, spirits and soft drinks and you do have the option of pre-ordering your drink when you arrive so it will then be ready for you at the interval. All the staff I encountered were lovely and friendly.

The ending did reveal a variety of twists which was great although it definitely got very dramatic! This was a really great evening out and for the price (tickets cost £20 – £38) it is a no brainer – go watch it!

Rating: 5/5

Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes (inc. interval) starting at 7.30pm

Ticket cost from: £20 – 38

Looking Good Dead is at New Theatre, Cardiff, from Tuesday 28th September to Saturday 2nd October 2021, for more information or to book tickets visit:
https://newtheatrecardiff.co.uk/Online/tickets-looking-good-dead-adam-woodyattcardiff-2021 or call the box office on 0343 310 0041.

New Theatre, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3LN