Jack Studio Theatre – until 4 January 2025
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
This year’s Christmas offering at the Jack Studio Theatre is an absorbing and atmospheric play by Luke Adamson. A wonderful mashup of British film noir and classic short stories, Montague’s Millions tells the tale of 3 strangers travelling on a sleeper train to Cornwall.
Each character has financial woes, and the arrival of three letters containing enigmatic instructions to attend the reading of a will at Montague Manor in Cornwall could be their salvation. None have met Montague, and the warnings to trust none, along with other rules about how to claim a share of his fortune, make the trio suspicious of everybody. A parade of obstacles means that the three must work together and rely on each other’s’ skills on their journey to reach the manor in time. Adamson follows Christmas short story tradition, and the characters’ histories are touched on and then tied together neatly and satisfyingly with a big Christmas bow.
The cast of three portray the main characters and multirole as the colourful people they meet on their journey. Adam Elliott plays the uptight but upright Dr Gordon Henderson – unable to take on as many patients as he would like, Tice Oakfield is James McDonald – an embattled dockworker desperately trying to raise funds for his daughter’s medical treatment, and Julia Pagett plays Lady Penelope Cunningham – searching for freedom away from her wastrel husband. All three are wonderful with excellent comic interplay and suspicious glances aplenty as they reveal their inner thoughts to the audience.
Kate Bannister’s slick direction keeps the necessary expositional passages playful and witty as the cast move around sharing the lines. Laurel Marks’s lighting adds a cinematic air to these scenes and the cast inherently understand the style of performance this material requires and lean into it with charm. The physical comedy and dexterity as they shift props around Karl Swinyard’s ingeniously adaptable set is delightful and Adamson’s writing balances the emotional reminiscing and downright silliness of the trio’s journey masterfully. It’s the type of play that makes you wish theatres had armchairs you could curl up in to relax and enjoy the story unfolding in front of you.
A wonderful winter’s tale to warm your heart and make you giggle – a superb alternative if you can’t face another panto.