Review: PICTURE YOU DEAD, Norwich Theatre - Tour
Photo credit: Alastair Muir
Peter James’ books are getting a bit of a cult following in their translation onto the stage. Now onto the seventh adaptation, Picture You Dead has really found its feet in what works as a show.
Having reviewed previous shows based on the acclaimed author’s novels, this is by far the best all-round show that James - along with writer and adapter Shaun McKenna - have produced.
The Kipling’s, a young married couple, purchase a painting for £20 at a car boot…little do they know what they are getting themselves into! The painting (a long lost masterpiece) is actually very valuable and it isn’t long before it is sought after by a devious Stuart Piper and his art curator, Roberta Kilgore. Turning to master forger David Henty for help, the couple end up on a deadly path.
The set really works as a dual facility, offering up the Kipling’s apartment, Henty’s studio and Piper’s ostentatious home. Depth is added to the set by adding extra rooms onto the back, i.e. a kitchen to the Kipling’s living room where the action never took place, but allowed the cast to move in and out as if they were entering each individual’s property.
George Rainsford returns as Roy Grace and, as always, produces a stellar performance. Grace isn’t the most prominent character in Picture You Dead but Rainsford brings some authority and calmness to the piece, as opposed to the flamboyancy of other characters from the art world that he interviews.
Nicholas Maude brings out a particularly venomous side to the nasty Stuart Piper, all hidden by a façade. Jodie Steele, who plays Roberta Kilgore, has been brilliant in so many other projects but it feels like she doesn’t get to display her full acting chops in this piece. We feel like she could have added so much more nastiness to the piece and role. If anything, Steele feels underused.
Fiona Wade and Ben Cutler take on the roles of Freya and Harry Kipling and put in good performances, but the stand out character is Peter Ash as Dave Hegarty. He is the one character that you do not know who his allegiance lies with throughout and even at the end, you keep thinking there will be another twist with his character.
Ash plays him superbly and you want to root for him. He comes across as a bit of a loveable rogue; he has wit and sarcasm and a good stage presence throughout. Hegarty is also based on a real person whom James met and became inspiration for this story.
Picture You Dead is an enjoyable mystery which, whilst keeping a lot of the plot on surface level, there are twists and turns which keep you guessing right until the very end. This is one to not be missed for all of you amateur sleuths at home.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Emma Rooney