Dead Simple

Theatre Royal Bath

Until Saturday

Dead Simple is the second book of crime writer Peter James to be turned into a stage production but never having read any of his books, apart from it being classed as a thriller, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Reading the programme gave me some idea but nothing compared with what was about to happen on stage.

With a stag night approaching the best man was assuring the bridegroom that the evening would be just a pub crawl, nothing else planned and certainly no embarrassing moments. The bridegroom, not quite convinced that this was true, assumes that after a horrifying intrusion what happens next is part of the night’s entertainment. But for him the plan goes terrifyingly wrong.

It’s hard to say very much about the story without giving too much away but it was certainly one that kept us riveted throughout the evening, with some really quite scary moments making me jump in my seat. This said, there were also some comical phrases slid into the story, enough to lighten it in darker moments.

With an ice cream in the interval to calm my nerves the second half was just as good as the first. The story kept us all on our toes and the distinctly quiet audience sat waiting for the next twist to happen. And happen they did, just when you thought you had the plot worked out another twist appeared and this continued right to the end.

The scenery was well placed, with the stage set into two halves which worked very well with both lighting and total blackouts adding to the atmosphere

Most of the actors had worked in television which might have contributed to some not particularly clear dialogue particularly at the start of the show, though this did not detract too much and got better as the play progressed.

Although all the actors were excellent I particularly liked Gray O’Brien as Detective Supt Roy Grace and Marc Small his sidekick and Josh Brown playing a not overly intelligent young man who happened to be around at the time of an accident. Though we didn’t see too much of bridegroom Michael, played by Jamie Lomas, we heard his convincingly very scared voice throughout the evening.

A cracking good thriller to keep you guessing and, hearing the comments of people leaving the theatre, was thoroughly enjoyed by a packed out audience.

Rita Sangster