The Game's Afoot

The Game’s Afoot is an American play written by Ken Ludwig and edited and published by Samuel French, Inc. in 2012. The story takes place, at the start, when in a New York Theatre as the actors take their bows, an audience member fires a gun hitting the lead actor, William Gillette, a renowned Broadway star. This is the scene setter for when the action really begins and in the second scene, Gillette has invited his fellow actors to his Connecticut mansion for a Christmas Eve celebration. When one of the guests is stabbed during the festivities, Gillette, having played Holmes’s many times, assumes the persona of the master detective and is convinced that he can solve the Crime and even when the police arrive, he doesn’t give in.  

The set, constructed by Ken Radmore and Mick Whitehouse with Scenic Artists being Andrew and Sabina Aucock, was just wonderful. There were three doorways, a French window, an archway and a secret cupboard hidden behind a bookcase. All were very relevant to the action and all used to great effect for all the comings and goings. The furniture was most appropriate for a ‘mansion’ and other props and gadgets were ideal. At the side of the stage and on the floor was a token Christmas Tree.  

The huge role of William Gillette was brilliantly portrayed by Istvan Koszegi. He totally dominated the stage with a commanding presence bringing out the eccentricity, the tenaciousness, the devilish charm of the character superbly. His many Shakespearean quotes were dramatically delivered and yes, he does get the chance to play ‘Holmes’ when he appears as his persona, when assisting the police officer. It was a top-notch performance. Another super performance came from Chris Nussey as Felix Geisel, a fellow thespian and lifelong friend of William. He was so over-the-top with his melodramatic and grandiose outbursts delivered with perfect timing and comedic flair. The scene, when he and Gillette were trying to hide ‘the body’, was hilarious. Kristen Dougherty was terrific as Daria Chase, a much-despised theatre critic invited by Gillette to conduct a seance (which was so well executed) in an effort to reveal his would-be murderer. She was so flamboyant and so elegantly, stylishly and sumptuously dressed but her charming demeanour was soon forgotten, when she started hurling insults and abuse at everyone and even  more so when she proceeded to tell of her connections to some of the guests, this was such a superb acerbic outburst. It really did not come as no surprise when she was eventually stabbed in the back by a black cloaked assailant, which was so effectively achieved. The following scenario, when she was quite frantically and literally man-handled by Felix and Gillette whilst they tried to hide her, was so funny. Firstly they tried to drag her behind a door, when that didn’t work they forcibly pushed her into the space behind the ‘secret bookcase’ but it wouldn’t shut. Felix himself gets fastened in there - it all became truly ‘farcical’ but eventually, in desperation, she is just thrown down behind the settee. All I hope is that Kristen didn’t suffer too many bruises!! I must admit that I had some difficulty in thinking that Martha, played by Charlotte Brown, was in fact Gillette’s ageing mother mainly because she was younger than him and although she was wearing appropriate attire for a mature lady and had a grey wig, any make-up she had wasn’t visible from where I was seated. However, despite this, she did really well managing to portray her loyalty to her son, the dottiness and the actual scariness of the character. I certainly realise how sometimes it can be very difficult to find people of the correct age, to play a particular role. Madge Geisel was well played by Kelly Chisholm, the wife of Felix. She looked the part and certainly was not afraid to speak her mind especially after finding out that her husband had had an affair with Daria. Aggie Wheeler had inherited a fortune from her late husband who had died in a skiing accident and was impressively and confidently played by Shannon Bainbridge. As her lover/husband Simon Bright, Ben Lawrence ideally managed to capture the naivety and earnest enthusiasm of the character. They, of course, got their comeuppance when the final twist in the tale was revealed. The English Inspector Goring was most animatedly played by Emily Jessop. She handled Gillette with great relish, was witty, incisive and the most offbeat police official you would ever meet - but, with the help from Gillette, the right criminals were brought to justice.

The whole show was well thought out and performed, and enhanced by the wonderful set and props, by the exquisite costumes and by the very effective lighting plot and sound effects. Congratulations to Director Katie Watkins, to the support given by Jarad Higgins, to the cast, to the Back Stage Crew and to everyone else involved in this very intriguing and well performed show. My thanks also for the very warm welcome I received from Chairman Mick Whithouse and indeed from all of the equally friendly, Front of House Staff.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.