UK Theatre Network

COMMUNICATING DOORS

The Gala Theatre, Durham

The concept of time travel has fascinated playwrights, scriptwriters and novelists for decades, and Alan Ayckbourn is no exception. His forty-sixth play – he is now up to 76! – Communicating Doors, is based on the subject and ponders what lies behind the mysterious locked door in the corner of your hotel room.

This cracking comedy-thriller begins with a dying old businessman, Reece Wells (Ben Porter), attempting to ease his guilty conscience. He calls upon Poupée (Laura Doddington), a dominatrix, to witness the signing of a statement in which he confesses to being involved in the murders of his two former wives. But when his ruthless business partner, Julian (Ben Jones), who is also implicated by the statement, finds out Poupée (‘it’s French for doll!’ she insists) escapes her fate by fleeing through the communicating door and finds herself transported back to the same hotel suite twenty years earlier.

The plot sees the ‘specialist sexual consultant’ confronted with Reece’s second wife, Ruella (Liza Goddard), on the eve of her murder. Can she alter the course of events and save Ruella? And can the pair go back a further twenty years and prevent Jessica (Daisy Aitkens), Reece’s first wife, from being killed, too?

Set in three different time zones, 1990, 2010 and 2030, this clever and complex play has you on the edge of your seat throughout. Liza Goddard gives a brilliant performance as Ruella, and she is supported by a consummate cast. The pace of action is frenetic and following the story requires a certain amount of concentration but, ultimately, this pays off and the audience is rewarded with a fantastic evening’s entertainment.

Steve Burbridge.

Runs until Saturday 18 June 2011.

The Lady Vanishes

The Tyne Theatre & Opera House

ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S classic 1938 film of lies, lost ladies and locomotives has been brought vividly to life in a new adaptation of The Lady Vanishes by Mark Simpson.

Stylishly staged, with an ingenious revolving set, designed by Maurice Rubens, that doubles as a hotel on the Swiss border and a steam locomotive, it is bursting with intrigue, espionage, romance and drama.

Stranded in a hotel after an avalanche, a cosmopolitan group of eccentric characters are desperate to return to London. They embark on a potentially perilous journey aboard a trans-alpine express train.

Having suffered a bang to the head at the hotel, Iris (Penelope Rawlins), a society beauty, is befriended by an endearing elderly governess, Miss Froy (Jane Evers). But, when the old lady mysteriously disappears and none of the other passengers acknowledge that she ever existed, Iris decides to investigate.

She manages to persuade Gilbert (Darrell Brockis), a handsome young musicologist that she is not hallucinating, despite the diagnosis of the sinister Dr Hartz (Terry Molloy), and he assists in the search for Miss Froy.

The ensuing events are a sophisticated mix of action, deceit, comedy and mystery. There are no weak links amongst the stellar cast, many of whom are required to double-up as other characters.

Mark Sterling’s direction ensures that the momentum is maintained throughout and that the audience are kept guessing right until the very end. The Lady Vanishes is a production that entertains and enthrals in equal measure.

Steve Burbridge.