Nottingham Theatre Royal – until Saturday 12 August 2023
Reviewed by Louise Ford
3***
You just cannot trust an honest man.
This week’s offering in the Colin McIntyre Classic Thriller Season is a Father Brown mystery based on the GK Chesterton novels and adapted for the stage by John Goodrum.
Before we look at the production I just want to get the elephant in the room into the full glare of the spotlights. Christmas in August? I’m just not sure that it’s right to mention the C word let alone stage a production set on Christmas Eve, in the summer holidays. It just doesn’t feel right. OK the alliteration works and the set had a lovely twinkly feel but it’s just not cricket!
Putting aside the season, the set was simple but effective. The inside/outside door made the actors, and audience, smirk every time they used it. The use of the over the garden wall chat was interesting, it worked best for the conversation between Ruby (Lara Lemon) and John (David Osmond). As they mentioned a “reverse Romeo and Juliet “
The story opens with a brief monologue by Father Brown (John Lyons), every detective has his (or her) Moriarty but has Father Brown met his nemesis? So let me begin…
The setting is Christmas Eve and a house party in a country house is just starting . There’s a mixed crowd meeting up to celebrate Christmas. Ruby an excitable young girl, her beau from next door (John), Ruby’s mother (Susan Earnshaw), the rich Godfather Sir Leopold Fischer (Jeremy Lloyd Thomas) and the Canadian relative (John Goodrum).
As with all good mysteries there are missing jewels, telegrams, a few red herrings and a comic policeman. All wrapped up in the end by the calm all seeing Father Brown.
The slap stick impromptu pantomime moves the story along and some of the costumes made the most of the bits and pieces found around the house. The piano playing was a nice touch.
It was an enjoyable performance, I just think that the story was a little bit thin and lacked any dramatic suspense.