Patrick Hamilton's 'Victorian' thriller Gaslight, a staple for so long of the country's am-dram societies, is being given a lavish revival at The Old Vic that is thoroughly merited in terms of its status as a stage classic. The gorgeous Rosamund Pike (Wadham graduate and Bond villainess) stars as the much put-upon Bella Manningham, the excellent Andrew Woodall is her odious husband Jack, and Kenneth Cranham once more plays the detective there to solve the case - as he did for nearly 800 performances when another theatrical warhorse, J.B.Priestley's An Inspector Calls, was brought back to life by the National Theatre.
A gasp-inducing set, making much use of hydraulics, was a feature of Stephen Daldry's take on the Priestley. Veteran director Peter Gill's approach to Gaslight, by contrast, could hardly be more traditional - reverential even. Designer Hayden Griffin provides a superb recreation of a middle-class home of 1880 (the play is Victorian only in setting, having been written in 1938). My only reservation is that it suggests greater affluence than one would have expected from the Manninghams.
The back-story, which steadily emerges as the very entertaining evening progresses, is that oily Manningham had been at the house as a burglar 20 years before. He did to death its owner in an attempt to steal her hugely valuable rubies. He couldn't find them. Now he is back to continue the search. His wife, of course, is ignorant of his criminal past - as she is ignorant about most things, including the way to deal with servants. One of these, Nancy (Sally Tatum), is insolent in the extreme, her cockiness having been increased by the amorous attentions paid to her by the man of the house.
Bella has no idea what is going on under her nose - that when the evening departures of her husband are followed by the sudden dimming of the sitting room lights, this means he has returned to continue his hunt upstairs (a drop in pressure - geddit?). Oh, and that all the things she has been 'losing' about the house have really been hidden by her husband in a ruse to drive her mad and get her out of the way for good. And even when the (entirely misnamed) Detective Rough spells out details of the situation, she takes an unconscionably long time to grasp it all - an unlikely scenario in view of the intelligence Ms Pike projects here and which certainly emerges from Bella in a late twist to the drama.
This, of course, is Hamilton making absolutely sure that the plot is fully understood by his audience - an underlining that is both unnecessary and slightly irritating. The other flaw of the play is the absurd ease with with those elusive jewels are discovered. But this is not a play that should be attended by nit-pickers. Here is entertainment in good old-fashioned style. As they surely would not have said (thank heavens) in 1938: Enjoy!
Until Aug 18. For tickets call 0870 060 6628.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article