Revenge

The dark and sinister poster and programme cover design for this play suggested a seriously intense drama, significantly different from the light-hearted comedic piece and panto that I’ve seen the group do. This was absolutely the case, though much of it was set in the tastefully decorated loft conversion flat of the lead character Amelia, a successful author with a phobia of leaving her home. Her best-selling book covers displayed in poster format were delightfully creepy, matching the styling of the production poster.

The use of real furniture, borrowed and bought, and attention to detail with the items on the table, bookcase, and sideboard, gave it a nicely lived-in look, along with the comfortable way the other characters used the space, from many visits to their reclusive friend for the informal book club, after meeting at group therapy sessions. Good quality images were used for the views from the windows, and the changing colour of the sky worked very well to indicate different times of the day.

Gemma Feasey was excellent throughout as Amelia, being vulnerable despite the effort to live ‘normally’, with believable moments of full distress, and clearly relished the point at which she delivers the final plot twist. I won’t elaborate on that, so as not to spoil the surprise for those yet to see this play.

I found I needed to listen carefully because there was so much interesting information about the characters and plot hints given in the dialogue, I didn’t want to miss a thing, and also the speaking volume was a bit low at times in Act 1 (no microphones used), though voice projection was better in Act 2. Having off stage dialogue from the hallway and kitchen was a nice choice.  

Charlie Willett played Nigel, the ever so pleasant gentleman with a morbid fear of clowns, some food types, and a need to stay in control, avoiding alcohol and hypnotherapy. The role gets quite demanding in Act 2 and Charlie gave a super performance, turning on the right amount of venomous sneer when needed, and his physical gradual reaction to be drugged was quite fascinating to watch.

Petra was played by Leigh Perry, I liked the no-nonsense attitude that she brought to the role, and the repeated refusal to use the lift, being claustrophobic. Pauline Roast played Corinne nicely, being deliberately cautious of other people’s feelings, a sort of mother hen wanting to avoid conflict, while trying to manage her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Outside of the friendship group, Dr Malstrom was played by Teresa Paddon, who visits Amelia several times during the play. I found the character quite unlikeable in her mannerisms, slightly patronising and impatient in the way that she spoke to others, which unfortunately slowed the pace at times. She seemed more like the professional therapist in the voiceovers about anger, fear, and revenge, which worked very well to guide the audience through key themes, and provide a scene breaks.

There is a lot of wine consumed in this play, and it would perhaps have been nice to use real glasses rather than plastic, also it could have been more authentic for the mobile phone ringing and email incoming notification sounds to be less loud, but these are minor suggestions.

I feel that as director Debbie Irby really leant into the modern concept of taking what people say at face value about their past and their mental health, and respecting those boundaries, which made the duplicity of several characters all the more interesting for the big reveal at the end.

I appreciated the long chat with director Debbie, and was well looked after by front of house. Congratulations to Wickham Bishops Drama Club on a high quality production of an unusual and engaging play.

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