The Thrill Of Love

‘The Thrill Of Love’ is a relatively new play written by Amanda Whittington in 2013. It tells the story of Ruth Ellis, a hostess in 'gentlemen’s clubs’ in the West End and also the last woman to be hanged in Britain for murder in 1955 at the age of 28. Ellis works hard, plays hard and dreams of a movie-star life. The story and action gives us a glimpse into Ellis’s life, leading up to her being convicted of killing her lover David Blakely and the injustices surrounding the circumstances, her extremely short trial and execution - told through the eyes of a sceptical cop in charge of her case.

As Director Hayley Moy states in her notes in the programme - there would have been a very different outcome had the crime been committed today, but Ruth’s appearance, lifestyle and apparent lack of remorse weighed heavily against her at that time. These days, she would have been viewed more as a victim, rather than as a suspect.

Both pre-show and throughout the play, the atmosphere was enhanced by the wonderful music of Billie Holiday. The almost ‘black box’ setting designed by Tony Hall was impressive and made use of differing heights and space. The scene changes within were slick and worked well under Stage Manager Lesley Crawford and her team. The actors used the space created to great effect and the action was engaging to watch all the way through.

Under the excellent direction of Hayley Moy, we were treated to superb performances from all 5 actors; Rachel Hardy (Ruth Ellis), Alex Swann (Detective Inspector Jack Gale), Sharon Cummings (Sylvia Shaw), Brooke Milburn (Vickie Martin) and Lyndsey Spark (Doris Judd). Their characterisation was first class, offering the audience pathos, drama and some humour along the way.

Technically, I was immensely impressed with the complex sound and lighting effects used, which added great atmosphere to the play. Congratulations to James Elliott, Tony Hall, Andy Gilmore and Mathew Hall.

Excellent hair design and wigs from Chris Carr, together with extremely apt costumes by the wardrobe team along with great props by Dave Moy and Fraire Armstrong added to the success of the production. Well done to all involved.

The final question was left to us, the audience to answer! - given what we learned throughout the play, who was really to blame for the murder of David Blakely? My advice is – see the show and draw your own conclusions.

Thanks from Councillor Peter, myself and my companion Pauleen for the invitation. The theatrical experience was thought provoking and a conversation starter, to say the least !.

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