The Ladykillers

In 1955, a comedy crime caper called The Ladykillers, produced by Ealing Studios, hit cinema screens and went on to become one of the most iconic British film comedies of all time. The premise of the story is quite straightforward. It tells the tale of a group of crooks, posing as a string quintet, who rent rooms in an elderly widow’s house. The thieves pull off a robbery, securing a large amount of bank notes, but slip up in front of the old lady as they try to get away. The gang agree that they need to silence their landlady indefinitely, however the bungling criminals end up double-crossing each other and slowly kill themselves off instead of their intended victim.

With this relatively simple plot, its wonderful array of fantastic characters and the action basically confined to one setting, the film was ripe for stage adaptation and Irish comedy writer, Graham Linehan, did just that in 2011. The script is playful and funny, and different enough from the original film to prevent you from constantly comparing the two; what was once a macabre black comedy, now presents itself as a madcap, slapstick farce.

The play is very much an ensemble piece in the grand tradition of so much British comedy and relies on a cast who trust each other and have excellent rapport. I am happy to say Boston Playgoers were lucky enough to have such a cast. The play opens with Mrs Wilberforce, our dear old lady, in conversation with Constable MacDonald, the local bobby. It soon becomes clear that the weary policeman officer is regularly called to the house for Mrs Wilberforce to report suspicious behaviour in her community; he humours her but evidently takes everything she says with a pinch of salt. Callum Thursby took the role of the policeman and played it for laughs in his bemused, bumbling portrayal, his ill-fitting police uniform a nice touch with it mirroring his ‘wet behind the ears’, naïve qualities.

Kathryn Kibby played the part of Mrs Wilberforce and was delightful in the role. She was, in my opinion, much too young for the role, but I do understand the challenges societies sometimes face when casting. Having said that, Kathryn had obviously worked incredibly hard on her characterisation, and she manged to effortlessly capture the vocal and physical qualities of a much older woman. I have seen Kathryn perform on several occasions and, for me, this was a standout role for her, providing the perfect foil to the gang of thieves she unwittingly invites into her home.

First, we meet ‘Professor’ Marcus, played with skill and dexterity by Julian Warrick, who approaches Mrs Wilberforce to rent rooms in her house for his troupe of ‘musicians’. Julian really did command the stage from the outset, masterfully controlling the action in his attempts to manipulate the old lady and keep his inept team in order. In the film, Alec Guiness played the character in an archly sinister way from his first entrance, but Julian played it with more warmth and geniality at the beginning, only revealing the more sinister side to his character as his plans begin to crumble. This was a clever take on the character which I enjoyed very much. Another highlight of Julian’s performance for me was his desperate attempts to avoid the ‘blue rinse massacre’, a great farcical scene wonderfully acted.

Professor Marcus is soon joined by the crooks his has assembled to carry out his planned robbery. Peter Kay, as Major Courtney, was a joy to watch. His portrayal of the anxious gentleman con artist was well-observed and lots of fun. The little hints in the dialogue to his love of cross-dressing led to one of my favourite moments where he quivered with delight at the discovery of the old lady’s ‘best frock’, and subsequently danced around the room with gleeful abandon. Priceless. Dan Poulson as One-Round (or Mr Lawson) also had his fair share of scene-stealing moments and was undoubtedly an audience favourite. Dan played the role of the dim-witted, punch-drunk ex-boxer with sincerity and a child-like innocence, delivering his limited lines with superb comic timing. The role of the cruel and vicious Romanian gangster, Louis Harvey, was portrayed by Laura Griffin, and she should be congratulated on her consistent Eastern European accent. I enjoyed the dialogue as her character mangled words and mixed-up idioms. Louis’s murder at the hands of Professor Marcus was particularly well-acted by both players.

The final member of the gang was Cockney spiv, Harry Robinson, impeccably played by George Tompkins. This is the third time I have seen this actor perform and he never disappoints. His stage presence is undeniable, and his performances can lift scenes to another level. As Harry, George brought a boundless energy to the stage which was controlled and pitched perfectly so as never to upstage his fellow actors, and his performance was invested with a truth which brought naturalism to his characterisation. The brilliantly directed slapstick moments were another highlight for me and George proved himself to be a master of the pratfall.

I met Callum Forman, the director, before the show and he told me it was only his second time directing. I was impressed. In addition to the beautifully timed slapstick, Callum brought a real sense of pace and momentum to the production. There was some lovely choreography to the farcical action, and he created some fabulous images throughout. I especially liked the demise of Professor Marcus in the spotlight, framed by the drawn tabs. He even managed a Hitchcockian-style cameo when he joined Audrey Young, Abbie Schweikhardt and Callum Thursby onstage as a flock of twittering elderly ladies.

There was some lovely attention to detail with the set dressing and the props. I was thrilled to see the production team not shy away from using an inordinate number of banknotes when they spilled out of the trunk. The set was solidly constructed, and I liked the use of different levels, however I did feel parts of the set looked a little unfinished. Elements, such as Mrs Wilberforce’s drawing room and the fireplace were strong, but I felt the upstairs room and the landing needed development. The costumes by Jo Warrick worked well and helped bring the characters to life. I imagine her ‘old lady outfits’ were particularly useful in helping Kathryn ‘become’ Mrs Wilberforce - although I wonder whether she may have benefitted from a better-quality wig. I liked the use of costume to compliment and contrast the different members of the mob, from Harry’s pale blue teddy-boy jacket to Louis’s black gangster get-up, each were distinct and characterful.

The lighting design by Art Losevs was very good and was used to great effect to isolate different areas of the stage. There were some lovely moments where it created eerie atmosphere and tangible tension. The sound design by Callum Thursby was good and the train sound effects worked very well alongside the rhythmic flashing lights and smoke. I wasn’t sure about the parrot’s voice, it needed more of a bird-like quality; less human, more squawk.

In conclusion, another evening of top-quality entertainment brought to you by Boston Playgoers with some outstanding performances and notable accomplished direction. Huge congratulations to Callum Forman and his team of producers on a fabulous production. This society never fails to light up the stage at Blackfriars Arts Centre and I am already looking forward to their next offering.

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