Performance Run: Tues 29 March - Sat 2 April 2016

Performance Reviewed: Wed 30 March 2016

Soap royalty Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace have swapped the gloom, murder and misfortune of Eastenders’ Walford for the, well, gloom, murder and misfortune of unhappy marriage in this latest UK tour of Peter James’ The Perfect Murder. In portraying the disillusioned and resentful Mr and Mrs Smiley (it’s ironic, you see), a couple celebrating 20 years of unblissful marriage, it quickly becomes apparent that the duo’s debut theatre outing together couldn’t be further from Kat and Alfie and their soap opera shenanigans if it wanted to be.

Part thriller, part black comedy, The Perfect Murder is a show which continually deviates and detours both narratively and tonally, and creates an involving, interesting evening of theatre peppered with plenty of levity and laughs, and one which nevertheless continues to be both surprising and even occasionally frustrating in it’s twisty-turny nature. That’s not to say it is overly cerebral - much of the humour is winningly observed from character beats or naturalistic quips and exchanges - most particularly some of the wonderfully barbed snipes between Wallace and Richie throughout the majority of the first Act - whereas the thrills and frights are occasionally so conventional and atypical that the audience is times unsure whether to laugh, gasp or steel themselves and one questions whether the whole thing has momentarily tiptoed into parody or satire. 

"Much of the humour is winningly observed -

most particularly some of the wonderfully barbed

snipes between Wallace and Richie throughout

the majority of the first Act"

For much of the first Act, the show registers almost in the vein of a Mike Leigh suburban observational comedy - Richie and Wallace wholly selling the resentment and bitterness accrued over the course of their unhappy marriage, and the comedy coming thick and fast. He only notices her new hairdo and clothes by them springing up on his credit card statement, she laments the fact that ‘most men have a d*ck that works’. It’s familiar yet confidently funny, and lays solid foundations for the more scattershot yet surprising second Act to follow.

To divulge too many plot specifics would truly undermine the experience of watching The Perfect Murder - particularly in Act II where unexpected yet not entirely unmotivated supernatural are-they-or-aren’t-they elements creep in and a stronger focus on an ongoing police procedural make for tonally a far less cohesive and unpredictable piece. It all remains compelling and entertaining, though, with Wallace in particular holding the show together during some wobblier moments. And, mercifully, again without wanting to give too much away, by the time the finale rolls around, author James and stage adaptor Shaun McKenna thread it all together satisfyingly and justify some of the bonkers that has preceded it. And even if the ending isn’t quite as clever as it seems to think it is, it’s still a delicious closure to everything it follows, and elicited a clear vocal response from the audience.

As mentioned, Richie and Wallace are unsurprisingly the VIP’s here. They work together on stage as effortlessly as they do on screen, even portraying here a far more venomous and comedic pairing than their beloved soap counterparts. There’s no trace of either Kat or Alfie - Richie instilling his Victor with a subdued menace and ever-so-slight lean towards something a trifle unhinged, whereas Wallace takes her Joan on a rollercoaster of neuroses, paranoia and downright spite. Stephen Fletcher gives game support as the humorously named ‘Don Kirk’ (“like the place in France where the battle took place!”) even if his faux-Cockney charm and slang are painted broadly and threaten to gradually overstay their welcome. Simona Armstrong impresses as young Croatian prostitute Kamila, initially only tangentially attached to the main plot before her full importance begins to materialise. 

Ultimately, The Perfect Murder is a curious and somewhat difficult production to review without giving too much away. It’s buoyed by strong central performances, particularly it’s two leads, and offers a great balancing of laughs, twists and shocks to keep an audience questioning what will come next - be it a giggle or a gasp - throughout. It’s somehow, almost paradoxically, both very original and surprisingly conventional at once, particularly during it’s second half and denouement, and in its choice and application of humour. As such, fans of a good murder thriller - from “Basil Rathbone to Benedict Cucumber-patch” - will find plenty to appreciate and enjoy here, and they’re in very reliable hands with Wallace and Richie on such fine form. It may not quite be perfect as it’s title suggests, but it is nevertheless a perfectly entertaining evening of theatre that will likely leave you second-guessing right up until the curtain call. 

RATING - ★★★

THE PERFECT MURDER is running at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry from Tuesday 29th March to Saturday 2nd April 2016.

CLICK HERE for more information on the show's run at the Belgrade and to book your own tickets!

Alternatively, telephone the theatre's Box Office direct on 024 7655 3055.

   

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