Witness For The Prosecution At The Little Theatre, Leicester Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by LW
The Little Theatre, Leicester, is exactly that; a small theatre, however, there is nothing little about the heart of the place. The theatre is run, almost entirely, by dedicated volunteers, from the bar staff and stewards to the people on the stage and the production team. It was a joy to see a diverse range of people in these roles, demonstrating the importance of supporting local theatre and exactly how many people value the venue and its work. A particular highlight was the spotting of young theatre members rallying the atmosphere as the newspaper sellers and police officers in the foyer as we arrived.
Witness for the Prosecution, written by Agatha Christie, is also playing in the capital, but with top price tickets nearly ten times the price, this amateur production offers excellent value for money. The play imagines a courtroom with the audience assuming the role of the Jury. This is a story of justice, passion and betrayal. We hear the story of Leonard Vole, accused of the murder of a wealthy widow, in order to inherit her fortune. We hear witness testimonies and are transported through the case to the verdict – can Leonard convince the jury of his innocence and escape the hangman’s noose. Guilty or not guilty – there will be no clues in the review!
The drama opens to the set of a court room. A set which absolutely transports us to the main focus of the drama – a vision well realised by Nadine Hall. However, when the scenery needs to be changed to the chambers of Wilfrid Robarts, the process, whilst clearly precisely rehearsed, is slow, however, as opening night I suspect this will become slicker. Ruth Cheetham’s direction is simple, noting that the setting and script do not allow for anything dynamic. I was unsure however on the use of a pre-recorded voice to open the play, to represent the Foreman of the Jury; an actor planted in the audience would have worked and the sound of the gavel being played via the PA rather than struck by the judge who is on stage at each of these points.
Freddie Dobrijevic in role as Leonard Vole – delivers a performance which keeps the audience searching his body language for clues. Even as we only see the back of him as he watches the courtroom and hears and sees the testimonies. The last five minutes allowing him to display his ability as an actor. I would like to share more of my thoughts on his performance, but I could be found guilty of giving clues – or not.
Leeann Rana gives a joyful performance as Romaine, showing versatility as a performer, however, the role should have delivered more of the great moments of shock and tension but many of these were missing – instead played as humour, which were great, but took away from the creating of suspense.
Carolos Dandolo as Mr Justice Wainwright plays the role of weary and ready to retire expertly. His delivery of key moments of humour were excellent, as was his warning to us as the jury about our role in the proceedings.
Clare Snow as the snooty housekeeper is joyful and brings some beautifully comedic moments to the proceedings.
Charles Moss as My Myers QC and David Lovell as Sir Wilfrid Robarts QC deliver excellent performances and fully embraced the role, David Lovell seemingly destined to play such a role.
Special mention should also go to those members of the cast who did not need to speak any lines yet were crucial to the action as court staff etc. In particular, Thom Jones a young performer who held his position with admiral focus throughout.
Whilst I felt some of the moments of suspense were missing, and indeed it doesn’t feel like a thriller, in all, this group of volunteers create a great evening’s entertainment. If you want to know if we found Leonard guilty of murder, you will need to treat yourself to a ticket – you won’t be disappointed.
Rating: 3/5
Witness for the Prosecution runs until Saturday 14th September 2024 with tickets remaining for each performance priced between £16 and £18.50, with some on the day tickets for under 25s priced at just £5.
https://thelittletheatre.co.uk/whats-on/witness-for-the-prosecution/
Tickets are available online https://thelittletheatre.co.uk/
Or by calling 0116 2551302