Gaslight

Gaslight is a psychological thriller written by Patrick Hamilton.  It was also made into a film starring Ingrid Bergman.  This was my first visit to Radyr Drama Society and it was lovely to meet people that I have never met before.

The curtains opened to reveal a very well designed and constructed set with working entrances and exits.  A lot of work had gone into this and the society are to be commended for it.

The small cast worked well together to produce a good performance and telling of the story, the central premise of which has given rise to the term ‘to gaslight’, which is now commonly used in the English language.

As Bella Manningham, Melanie McLeod gave an excellent performance.  She had great character throughout and was very engaging.  You really felt the range of emotions she was going through as the play progressed. Well played.

Opposite Melanie, Peter Strickler was Jack Manningham, the husband who tries to make his wife feel like she is going mad.  Peter gave a good performance, however I would have liked to have seen a bit more of a darker side of his character in the more sinister moments.

Pauline Watson gave a lovely portrayal of Elizabeth the house maid.  She was a very calm influence on the production and showed genuine care for Mrs Manningham.

Helen Blundell was full of energy as Nancy.  She worked well with the rest of the cast whenever she was on stage and had a good character throughout.

As Inspector Rough, Jonathan Wheeler was great.  He had an almost narrator-like quality to his character and really helped to move the production along.  Very likeable and well delivered.

On occasion, there were some fumbling of lines in dialogue.  Opening night jitters perhaps!

The production was well directed by Chris Locke.  Very clear and well thought out.

I enjoyed my evening; thank you for your hospitality.

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