Reviewed by Glenda Pearce for Broadwayworld.com
DEAD SIMPLE
By Shaun McKenna based on the novel by Peter James
Howick Little Theatre until October 17
DEAD SIMPLE - is anything but simple. It's a complex fast-paced mystery full of twists and turns, and a myriad of "aha" moments as the audience thinks again they have solved the crime, and identified the villain. Productions at Howick Little Theatre are always great entertainment - and they are always engaging. DEAD SIMPLE is certainly no exception. Directed with expertise by Nathan Hey, with outstanding attention to focus and tension, it is superbly acted, well-staged and cleverly designed - and compelling!
It is a few days before his wedding, to the beautiful Ashley (Georgia Alexandria Johnson), and Michael Harrison (Erik van de Wijdeven), wealthy property developer who becomes the victim of his own stag-do. His mates are determined to pay him back for his former pranks, so abduct him, and bury him alive in a coffin, complete with a walkie-talkie and a snorkel as a breathing tube. It's all supposed to be good fun, but when his friends are killed in a car accident, Michael is left alone, and buried alive. Those of us in the audience who suffer from claustrophobia or whose greatest fear is being buried alive, certainly can identify with his very real terror. Van de Wijideven is entirely convincing in the demanding role moving from inventive, confident and successful to victimized terror, and violent assault.
Tension mounts when it appears the only person capable of helping him is the simple-minded, teenage Davy Wheeler (Robert Limm). At the crash scene, he finds the walkie talkie that is the safety lifeline, but he turns it off to save its batteries. In his entirely believable various ironic, moody, colloquial exchanges with Michael, in the coffin, we wonder if he's going to be of any help. The lady in the front row says loudly, "Typical teenager - what a dork!" Michael's fate is in the hand of an unbalanced juvenile.
Focused, intelligent, decisive Detective Superintendent Grace ably played by Arthur Young is brought on to help solve the case by equally skilled Detective Sergeant Glenn Branson (Zane Fleming). The witty well-paced interplay, superbly flippant and realistically delivered, humorous rapport between these two lifts the energy of the mystery and contributes comic touches. "Perhaps he preferred to go AWOL rather than get married," suggests Branson.
Lady Macbeth clone Ashley reports Michael missing. Further suspicions are raised when Michael's only friend, and business partner, Mark (Ashton Brown) refuses to cooperate. Will money be more powerful than friendship? Now the intrigue builds - and Uncle Bobo, Bradley Cunningham (Matthew Cousins) seems unduly outraged when he thinks Mark and Ashley might be an item. "I don't want Ashley hurt - is that clear?" threatens Uncle Bobo. Can we really trust him? Cousins captures the underlying tension with talent. Betrayal and deceit - it's everywhere. Each of the characters are played with physical and psychological truth, motivational credibility, well-shaped dialogue, and vivid facial expression.
Set design (Nathan Hey) , sound design (Nik Rolls), lighting design (Nick Martin, David Guthrie) and stage direction fuse successfully in a multi-layered mis-en-scene. Productions at Howick Little Theatre always manage to create remarkable sets - and this one is again outstanding. Many different locations merge with prompt pace keeping the action fast-flowing and seamless. Skilled lighting and slick sound operators (Tony Simons, Dylan Day) effectively spot and shade the scenes, and intersperse recorded TV programmes with lines that support the narrative: "We don't have the full picture", "I can't tell".
Plan A, Plan B, Plan C - and then a quick solution that is DEAD SIMPLE. Fast moving, compelling action, credible characterisation, and superbly directed and executed - this is a play not to be missed.
The play runs until 17 October, 2020.
Tickets at www.iticket.co.nz-
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