Not Dead Enough at the Bristol Hippodrome Review
Not Dead Enough
Bristol Hippodrome
27 February to 4 March 2017
Reviewed by Siobhan Bridgwater
I was very much looking forward to spending a rainy February night in the sumptuous luxury of Bristol’s beautiful Baroque theatre, the Hippodrome. I have seen many wonderful musical shows here over the last couple of years but it has been a long time since I have seen a straight drama production. I am not familiar with this international best-selling British writer, Peter James, but I have heard great things about this stage adaptation of his acclaimed book and was ready to be totally absorbed into a psychological thriller, intriguing named Not Dead Enough. I understand that this is his third novel to be adapted by Shaun McKenna and directed by Ian Talbot.
It started very well with a sole female, Katie Bishop (Charlotte Sutherland), centre staged, lit by a single spotlight, excitedly chatting on the phone to her son on his thirteenth birthday. It is an ordinary happy conversation which is very chillingly concluded as a masked intruder creeps up behind her. He suddenly and violently grabs her by the throat, covers her face with a gas mask and drags her back into the darkness, screaming and flailing. But her final words are odd… what does she cry? Something like “Oh no, not again?!” Curious.
The stage is then fully lit to expose an interesting arrangement which remains the same thorough the show. Divided into two tiers, the upper part of the stage has become as the office space and mortuary rooms of “Senior Anatomical Pathology Technician” Cleo Morey, played by TV presenter and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Laura Whitmore, and her new assistant, Sophie Harington (Gemma Atkins). The bottom left hand section of the stage is set up to house the detective’s offices, occupied by EastEnders star Shane Richie’s character, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, along with his fellow officers, Glenn Branson (Michael Quartey) and Bella Moy (Gemma Stroyan) whilst the right hand part is sectioned off as the Police Interviewing Room, where prime suspect and poor Katie’s husband, Brian Bishop (Stephen Billington), spends most his time. The front of the stage is cleverly used as the corridor between the two.
Laura Whitmore does a great job portraying a sassy-smart Cleo who is confidently weaving her way through a testing new relationship with DS Grace. Grace, we learn, is haunted by his wife mysterious disappearance ten years previous. It is good to see Shane Richie in this challenging role. On the whole, he does a convincing portrayal of this troubled character as he marches us through the investigation although I must admit to occasionally catching glimpses of Alfie Moon. Stephen Billington certainly has his work cut out with the considerable and complex demands on his part. I can’t say any more about this without spoiling the plot but he certainly is very commanding and convincing. Gemma Atkins and Michael Quartey also put in strong performances as the hopelessly-in-love, if naive, Sophie and the “unhappily” married detective who plays the straight man to some of Richie’s more comic lines.
Set in Brighton, the first act seamlessly sets out the scenes and storylines and introduces all the characters as the murder mystery unfolds and dead bodies become increasingly commonplace leading police to suspect a serial killer is at large. Whilst it appears that loving husband Brian is being ruthlessly framed as the murderer, the act then ends with a terrible, and somewhat, unexpected turn of events as another character meets a torturous end. As the plot develops after the interval, with some rather baffling and, at times, pretty incredulous storylines a rather disappointing anti-climax hangs in the air as the play concludes and the murderer’s story is finally revealed.
Overall, it was an enjoyable evening and the whole cast worked very hard to entertain us.
Rating: 3/5
Tickets cost from £20.40 to £44.90 (plus £4 transaction fee).
Not Dead Enough is at the Bristol Hippodrome until 4 March 2017. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 871 3012.
Bristol Hippodrome, St Augustine’s Parade, Bristol, BS1 4UZ | 0844 871 3012
