THEATRE REVIEWS

The indolent Lord Arthur Savile played by John Sackville, whose main motivation in life is to avoid effort of any sort, is about to marry the delightful Sybil (Sara Crowe) when he uncovers the secret of Mr Podgers (Russ Abbott), who has convinced London society that he is able to read their past and predict their future through palmistry.

Challenging him to prove that he is not an impostor and charlatan, Arthur insists on having his palm read. Podgers declares that he is destined to kill someone and suggests that if he wants to be sure that the victim is not to be his beloved Sybil, he should identify a suitable victim and carry out the deed as soon as possible.

Thus starts a series of increasingly desperate attempts to bump off an elderly relative, involving poisoned bonbons, an eccentric German anarchist (Barry Howard), a combustible clock and the payment of multiple "consultancy fees" to the greedy Podgers until Arthur finally claims his victim.

The cast are perfectly in tune with one another as the comedy builds up with each foiled attempt. This production is lively and well-paced. The eccentricity of the aristocracy is nicely depicted as they undertake actions that seem perfectly reasonable to them but madness to anyone else.

Lady Windermere (Susan Penhaligon, sweeping the stage like a ship in full sail), delivers barbed insights into the state of marriage, rues the impact of the telephone on the lower classes and deplores the American desire to speed everything up as she prepares to live in a hot air balloon; Uncle Cuthbert (Royce Mills) bumbles genially about, ridiculing Romanians and collecting clocks.

The comedic touch extends in a low-key fashion to the peripheral characters such as the violinist and butler. The violinist sits at the edge of the stage throughout, but reacts to the exploding bombs; the butler unveils a series of placards describing the next scene, in the manner of a silent black and white movie; each contributes to the ready laughter of the audience throughout.

The simple but elegant set design by (Alexander McPherson) perfectly complements the melodramatic events. This is a really enjoyable production; the familiar Wilde witticisms on marriage are all there and Trevor Baxter's adaptation has a light touch, bringing in aspects of the class divide and wider issues, but sensibly focused on the comedy and sheer fun of the improbable storyline. Definitely recommended. © DOS

“Lord Arther Savile's Crime” is in Richmond on the 18th until the 23rd of April, 2005.