Wait Until Dark

A good set and atmospheric sound effects at the outset, set the scene for a tense, and sometimes amusing play.

The premise of two conmen, engaged by a third slightly creepy character, to find a doll with drugs concealed in it, from a blind woman, provided plenty of scope for the actors.  Sally Davis directed and got good performances from her cast.

The set was well-designed and constructed, giving the actors plenty of room to manoeuvre, and also for Susy as a blind person to negotiate.  The window with back lighting and blind worked well.

The lighting mostly enhanced the set, although for me it was a little too muted at times, meaning we did not always see the full extent of the characters facial expressions.  There was one scene towards the end when the light faded in well after the blackout, nicely achieved.

The cast mostly projected well, and this was vital to the play, as with so many twists and turns we really needed to be able to follow every word!

Costumes were all very suitable.

It was good to see Robert Naylor-Stables in a completely different role.  I am used to seeing him as a suave, elegant figure, but this time he played a cockney conman Mike, giving him a rough edge, with a different stance, and lots of expressive asides and facial action – I thought he did really well.

Georgina Lilley played Susy, the blind person, who the story centres around.  Georgina got the feel of a blind person, fairly sure of herself in her home environment, but tripping over things that had been moved.  The turn of the head in the direction of a sound, but not reacting with her eyes was good.  I would have liked a slightly more puzzled reaction when there were people in the room that basically she didn’t know about, but could sense.  However, overall I liked her portrayal very much.

Jonathan Field played the rather creepy Roat, a complex character, smooth at times, but manipulative and evil, all of which Jonathan achieved well, giving a good characterisation and added dimension to the piece.

Gloria, the rather strange school girl, who assisted Susy with shopping etc, was very well played by Emma Rouse.  I got the impression, rightly or wrongly that there was more to the character than we saw, and because she thought the doll was a gift from Sam, perhaps there was more than a casual relationship between them?  This would explain the sometimes tense relationship between Gloria and Susy – which they both achieved well.

Steve Leadbetter had the small but pivotal role of Sam, Susy’s husband, all sorts of question marks over him - controlling, calculating, maybe not entirely above-board, but a good part for Steve.

Peter Jeffreys completed the main cast as the second, rather shifty conman.  I wanted a bit more projection from Peter, but he was a good foil to the more full-on Mike and the scheming Roat.

All in all an interesting play, well-performed.

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