Looking Good Dead At Belgrade Theatre, Coventry Review

Reviewed by Julie Hayward

Tonight’s play has been much anticipated by myself and my husband, we have been really looking forward to seeing it, he is a retired Police Officer, and we often enjoy watching the latest police drama on T.V together. For me however it is not my usual type of theatre production, my preference is musicals with a feel good, light-hearted theme. So, I wasn’t a hundred percent sure that I was going to enjoy a play that is a more intense type of thriller.

‘Looking Good Dead’ is a Peter James novel that has been adapted for the stage by Shaun McKenna. The main characters are played by Adam Woodyatt and Laurie Brett, both household names of soap star fame. I have grown up watching EastEnders with Ian Beale, played by Adam and the marriage partnership he had with his long-suffering wife, Laurie’s character, Jane. They had a great on-screen chemistry together, so I was sure this would be just as good, if not better, when reunited on stage.

We entered the theatre, to sounds of a seaside location, gulls calling and waves lapping at a shore. We took our seats; the stage was set with a stylish interior of a modern-day home. We then get to meet the family that live there, Kellie Bryce who is played by Laurie Brett. She is busy cleaning and drinking from a water bottle, which we later find out this is kept topped up with vodka. She is mum to teenage son Max who is played by, Luke Ward-Wilkinson, he is sat on the sofa engrossed in computer games on his tablet. Kellie is wife to Tom Bryce, played by Adam Woodyatt and she is also a step-mum to Joe, Tom’s son, who we are told is taking a gap-year abroad.

Tom returns home, after yet another day of being and an unsuccessful salesman trying to keep his business afloat. The trio appear to be a normal little family, affectionately teasing one another, yet there is an undercurrent of a rocky past, which most long marriages have endured.

The story takes a twist, when the rear of the stage is in focus, at a sinister location. A young Escort is meeting a client for an S&M bondage session.

Back at the Brighton home, Tom asks for Max’s help in viewing a memory stick he found on the train, with the intention of returning it to its owner. The teenager’s superior I.T skills quickly gets them into the password protected footage and to their horror they witness the murder of the Escort.

The story unfolds with the eventual involvement of the police, giving us another clever set change and meeting of the detectives and the family liaison officer. We get a little of their back story, but I am sure the novel would go into much greater detail as Peter James is a crime novelist the investigating officer Roy Brace would have had a much greater role and how the case was solved.

It is a fascinating story, with intrigue and heart thumping moments. The clues are all there and a few surprises along the way. We had a very enjoyable evening which gave us plenty to talk about on our way home.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £13.50.

Looking Good Dead is at Belgrade Theatre from Mon 7th to Sat 12th March 2022

For more information or to book tickets visit Looking Good Dead – Belgrade Theatre Or call the box office on 02476553055

Belgrade Theatre, Belgrade Square, Coventry, CV1 1GS