Darlington Hippodrome – until Saturday 19 March 2022
5*****
There is nothing like a good thriller to get the brains whirring and the ideas forming; and this latest production, from the legendary Bill Kenwright, is an excellent thriller.
Written in the late sixties by Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, based on a french play by Robert Thomas, the plot has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster. Right up to the final reveal you are trying to work it out – and in my case getting it wrong – but it’s a very satisfactory if unexpected denouement.
Set in the remote Catskill Mountains, over the Labor Day weekend, in the mid 1960’s, newly wed Daniel Corban (Patrick Duffy) is failing to enjoy his honeymoon after his wife Elizabeth went missing after a little argument the week previously. Inspector Levine (Gray O’Brien) is investigating this case, on top of a missing necklace at a nearby hotel.
When Father Kellerher (the divine Ben Nealon) arrives with the missing Elizabeth (Linda Purl). Daniel denies ever meeting her, and off we go on around two hours of joyful escapism. A well written thriller with some laugh out loud funny moments too.
The story moves on at an even pace, with a surprise plot and red herrings thrown in for good measure. Surprisingly wordy, there are no stilted or fumbling moments. Duffy plays his part well, moving through a whole range of emotions – fear, bewildered, happy, sad resignation and anger up to the conclusion. Whilst O’Brien is the one to watch, surely the Inspector should be helping the confused old man, but he’s a fun character and you are rooting for him to solve the case. Ben Nealon is really fun, is he a Priest, is he a Gangster? Who knows, his dark and brooding Father appearing at the most unexpected times and places, full of ambiguity and intrigue from the first moment he appears. Linda Purl makes you think a lot about her character – is she the missing Elizabeth or not.
The set is also expertly crafted; since all of the action of the play takes place in the living room of the honeymoon cabin, it needs to be richly fleshed out. Julie Godfrey’s design with Chris Davey’s lighting and Matthew Bugg’s sound, all under the direction of Bob Tomson made the set feel like a fully realised space.
Catch Me if you Can is a masterclass for the armchair, or in this case theatre chair, detective. Completely engaging and captivating the attention of the audience from beginning to end.