It was an evening of nostalgia at the Stephen Joseph Theatre as everyone trooped down to the old theatre housed in the East Coast College for this evening’s performance of John Godber’s “Screaming Blue Murder”. The reason was that the stage stuck at the new theatre leaving Hull Truck Theatre to live up to its image as a touring theatre, able to put on a show anywhere. Unfortunately, they got the show up and running, but then it fell flat because the script was not up to the potential of its author.

This was a story of a dirty weekend at a murder weekend venue, housed in an hotel which was once an old lunatic asylum, it had strange staff and history. It should have worked, but it didn’t. Lots of screaming, strange noises off, poor happenings and a sense of going nowhere. The actors and director tried hard to get something from the script, but failed. A rewrite might be the answer if this play is to live up to the author's reputation. A great pity.

The audience enjoyed the unusual evening and applauded when the actors took their bow, but a play only for the diehard theatre goer. It did make you want to scream by the time it had finished. Least said the better. © BA

“Screaming Blue Murder” is at the Round in Scarborough from the 15th to the 20th of September, 2003.