THEATRE REVIEWS

This thriller centres around Susy, a young blind woman who becomes embroiled in a convoluted plan to retrieve a mysterious doll that several strangers are keen to get their hands on. What at first seems to be a simple mix-up becomes a desperate fight to find the doll and the associated prize. The stakes are raised higher as time passes and the search becomes more urgent, with some people paying a heavy price for their involvement.

Directed by Joe Harmston, the play opens with two ex-cons reunited at the scene of the search, Susy's flat in Notting Hill. Michael Melia as middle-aged Croker and James Carlton as young Mike are basically likeable, small-time crooks seriously out of their depth, almost touching in their innocence as they attempt a con that quickly becomes more complex than their usual scams.

A brief appearance by Susy's husband (Antony Edridge) deftly establishes the supportive, close but independent nature of their relationship and makes clear that Susy's blindness is never used as an excuse to render her helpless or dependent.

Initially Susie Amy didn't seem to have the gravitas to convey Susy's independent spirit and sharp-wittedness, seeming little-girlish and gullible, but she warmed up to the role and was utterly convincing as a blind person. She portrayed the difficulties of blindness matched to a dogged determination not to let it defeat her, which, combined with her familiarity with living a life in darkness, ultimately enables her to take on the conspirators.

Similarly the emergence of Mr Roat (Derren Nesbitt) as an arch-villain with considerable psychopathic tendencies seems improbable at first, since he starts out verging on a cartoonish buffoon, but as the truth is revealed and the play reaches the head to head battle of wits and physical violence between him and Susy, the tension truly starts to mount and both characters are intensely charged, whilst avoiding melodrama.

The one truly consistent character was Gloria, played by Minnie Crowe, who was excellent as the schoolgirl living upstairs who helps Susy out with her shopping and has a crush on her husband. Excitable and very funny, she thoroughly enjoys being mixed up in what seems to her to be an adventure worthy of the Famous Five and she carries out her instructions with aplomb.

It was encouraging to see that the set design was an integral part of the production — too many sets seem to be reduced to background scenery only — and I really enjoyed the interaction with the set. Cutlery was thrown, stairs creaked, furniture was stumbled over, lights were smashed; blinds were used to send signals; chairs became weapons, washing machines hiding places; the flat was full of "stuff" and convincing for it.

Staging a thriller is challenging. A film-maker has the luxury of being able to cut out everything other than a terrified face or startled eyes, to focus the viewer's attention on the ringing phone, to switch camera angles sharply. The suspense needed to be introduced a little sooner to avoid the sudden change in atmosphere from quasi-comic to seriously disturbing; sometimes the required sense of menace evaporated in the open expanse of the stage and the distractions of a busy set, but it was ultimately delivered very satisfyingly in the second act, with lighting (designed by Nick Richings) used to good effect, becoming stark and dramatic as the action began to focus on the taut psychological interplay between Susy and Roat. In the final scenes, a single source of light narrowed our attention to one man, one woman and the shifting balance of emotional power between them.

The measure of success for this play must be in the sense of release that the audience experiences when the victor emerges and the lights go up — and this audience breathed out audibly. © DOS

“Wait Until Dark” is in Richmond on the 25th until the 30th of July, 2005.