Theft

Theft is a clever play, working on different levels, with lots of twists and turns, and this production absolutely did it justice - and more. Underlying the surface drama of two couples coming back to the house of one of them to find it has been burgled, and the comic farce instigated by the discovery that the burglar is still in the house, is an insightful and intricate drama of interpersonal relationships, moral dilemmas and class tensions. Managing a successful balance between the drama and the comedy in this play is a major challenge and APS achieved it magnificently, thanks to the skillful direction of Jessica Colson and the talent and commitment of the actors and production crew.

The plot's premise and its various twists and turns required a considerable level of attention from the audience and a healthy suspension of disbelief. They had to find the set-up and the plot developments believable, otherwise they would not have engaged with the individual characters, their behaviour and interactions, and the social and moral issues which were raised as a consequence. It was a tribute to the quality of all the various elements of the production, direction, acting, set, lighting, sound and stage management that the audience clearly were totally engaged in the story and in the characters, and were gripped by the twists and turns of the plot. As the power dynamics shifted through the course of the play, each of the characters had one-to-one interactions with the others, revealing things about their pasts and about their moral values. Because the acting was so strong and convincing across the board, the actors made those twists and turns, and the revelations of secrets and lies, believable and naturalistic.

This was the case right from the start with John and Trevor setting the scene brilliantly as they enter to find the house burgled; full of semi-suppressed rage and threats of revenge against the burglar. Jenny portrayed, with assurance and naturalness, a disarming niceness with the impression of a lot more going on under the surface. Barbara was excellent in displaying an embittered cynicism and slightly sneering spitefulness. As all four gradually revealed more about themselves and each other, different aspects of their characters emerged and the actors demonstrated great ability in letting those come across to the audience. This was particularly the case in the various heated interactions and arguments between the characters, which were really strong, convincing and engaging for the audience; for example Barbara arguing with her husband John over accusations of lying about her age, and Trevor arguing with John about the latter cheating at tennis.

The catalyst for all of the arguments and revelations was the burglar, Spriggs. The actor gave a tour-de-force performance, mastering the great number of lines demanded by the role and playing him with a delightfully drole, laid-back and slightly lugubrious manner, something akin to Alan Bennett in style of speech. The character is a witty, fast-thinking smooth-talker and has many amusing lines which the actor delivered with excellent timing. There was, indeed, a great deal of humour through the play and all of the actors demonstrated great timing and succeeded in getting just the right balance of comedy and seriousness.

Special commendation goes to the design (John Crabtree) and creation of the set, a very effective and detailed recreation of a living room with a wall-safe which opened and, outside the window, some garden vegetation. ‘Very classy’, was a comment on the set which I overheard from a member of the audience behind me. The same audience member commented on the music used to open the play: ‘very good burglar music’. The clever lighting, too, contributed significantly to the power of the play.

This was a very entertaining, interesting and multi-faceted production which worked brilliantly on many levels - comedy, farce, thriller, social commentary, a study of relationships and power dynamics. Thank you very much for a great evening and congratulations to everyone involved.

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