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Gaslight at the New Alexandra Theatre Birmingham Review

GaslightGaslight
New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

6-14 January 2017

www.atgtickets.com/birmingham

Reviewed by Catherine Norris

Yesterday evening I went to see Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight, which is now playing at the New Alexander Theatre in Birmingham. I was captivated from the start in the story of Bella Manningham (played by Kara Tointon) and Jack Manningham’s (played by Rupert Young) relationship. Bella is a doting wife who yearns for her husband’s time and approval. Jack however, has concerns about Bella’s mental health due to the continual disappearance of items from around the home, which always turn up in Bella’s sewing bag, with Bella having no recollection of how they managed to get there. This places strain upon the relationship and Jack threatens to have Bella placed in a mental institution. With Bella beginning to believe that she is indeed going mad, the arrival of a retired detective named Rough (played by Keith Allen) helps her to see that all may not be as it seems, and that Jack has been hiding the items himself as well as a rather dark past that Bella has been completely in the dark about herself!

The performance by Kara Tointon was outstanding. She conveyed the emotions of Bella so well, that as an audience member I really felt that I understood and connected with her character. Equally, Keith Allen’s performance was very believable and I enjoyed the on-stage chemistry between the two actors. For me, however, Rupert Young’s performance was not at the same level as the other actors, as it did not feel as if he was completely in character. It was more apparent that he was acting and so this impacted on the illusion a little.

Overall however, I would definitely recommend this show. It is a fantastic story that in some aspects is as relevant now as it was when it was written in 1938. The set and period costumes are stunning as is the New Alexandra Theatre which is clean and comfortable. The staff were extremely welcoming and friendly and I really liked that there is a bar for the stalls section as well as toilets, so queues were reduced during the interval.

Rating: 5/5 thumbs_up

New Alexandra Theatre, Suffolk Queensway, Birmingham, West Midlands, B5 4DS

5Star

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