Rebus: A Game Called Malice At The Oxford Playhouse Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Joanna Woodburn

Acclaimed crime writer, Sir Ian Rankin must undoubtedly have been thinking of puzzles with picture clues when he named his shrewd, rather troubled but likeable detective John Rebus. Co-written with Simon Reade, Rebus: A Game Called Malice is a classic ‘whodunnit’ detective play full of symbolic clues and challenges and is now showing at the renowned and wonderful Oxford Playhouse.

In the play, retired Detective Inspector John Rebus attends a murder mystery dinner party with his lawyer ‘ex’ girlfriend, Stephanie Jefferson at the plush Georgian home of Harriet and Paul Godwin, in Edinburgh’s wealthy New Town. Also in attendance at the party are dodgy casino owner businessman Jack Fleming and his much younger glamorous partner, Candida Jones, a social influencer. The Godwin’s grand living room is so full of famous early 20th century Scottish paintings that it resembles an art gallery. Is Rebus able to read the clues in the room to solve the games in play?

The brisk action is framed with John Rebus, superbly played by Gray O’Brien. O’Brien commands the stage, talking directly to the audience about his observations and in doing so, connecting with the audience as he becomes very much an outsider looking in on the confined scene. O’Brien’s dry wit and perfect timing are perfect for the part, as Rebus reads the room to see through the dinner party politeness straight through to the hidden tensions beneath. As with any classic ‘whodunnit’, all is certainly not as it would seem. As we learn more about events and dealings in the past, the murder mystery theme starts to unravel the unhappy and dysfunctional state of Paul and Harriet’s marriage. What starts off as a fictional murder mystery soon becomes a real killing as a body is found and the characters are unhappily stuck in the room until the police arrive.

With outstanding, accomplished performances all round, the talented actors all work well together and perfectly balance the light shades of humour in the first half of the play with the subtle building of intensity. The intrigue is well developed and constructed by the time the interval arrives and the audience can take a little breather and speculate on who might be the guilty party. As we move into the second half and without giving away any spoilers, this classic murder-mystery is masterfully told, with unexpected twists which are fast and furiously revealed.

A Game Called Malice’s single room elegant staging by designer Terry Parsons, with Georgian furniture and fabulous paintings is greatly effective in focusing the audience on the drama playing out in what was initially a place for enjoyment but which gradually becomes a claustrophobic horror. The brisk, clever and witty dialogue and plot certainly deserve our full attention.

Rebus: A Game Called Malice – a cleverly crafted and brilliantly played performance, packed full of twists and turns – the epitome of old fashioned ‘whodunnit’ theatre at its best!

Rating: 4/5
Rebus: A Game Called Malice is at the Oxford Playhouse, Oxford from Tuesday 29th October through to Saturday 2nd November; for more information or to book tickets visit https://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/events/rebus-a-game-called-malice or call the box office on 01865 305305
The Oxford Playhouse, 11-12 Beaumont Street, Oxford, OX1 2LW