Wait Until Dark

It was a very pleasant surprise to be asked to review this exceptional play. Like many in the audience, I had seen this as a film when I had sat riveted to my seat wondering what the outcome could possibly be. 

My next thought was how could an amateur company perform it bearing in mind that the lead part requires someone capable of acting as a blind person. A very difficult part to play, but Tracey Bates was totally convincing from the very beginning. She maintained her ‘lack of vision’ giving an outstanding performance displaying the slow dawning of trouble and the final terror with great facial expressions and body language. An incredibly difficult and demanding part, as she was hardly ever off stage.

Nadia Sanane, as Gloria the kid from upstairs, was also very good in her part adding great tension to the play by creeping about the basement flat pretending not to be there and sliding on and off stage via the all important staircase up to the ground level. Dale Shucksmith as Mike, the good guy, whom we all knew was not a good guy at all gave a very realistic interpretation of the role always coming over as calm and safe, defusing some of the tension making the next dramatic moments even more frightening. 

The other three members of the cast, Tony Westwood, Nige Atkinson and Steve Law, gave stirling support making this a very memorable show. I was particularly impressed with the incredible fight scene making for a tension filled, highly dramatic finish to an excellent production.

Technically the direction was so cleverly worked out and executed and the set was a masterpiece in both design and construction. When the curtain opened I was immediately transported into a real flat.  The props were a work of art, the blind, so important to the story line, was so cleverly placed as was the fridge freezer. The lighting in the hands of Mike Cawte, again vital to the success of the play, was really efficient and the costumes all looked so correct. All in all this was an outstanding production.

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