Welcome to a new post. 

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Hello everyone and welcome to a new post. Here is my review of the new play Rebus: A Game Called Malice and a few words on meeting Abigail Thaw after the play.

I will write up front that I am not a fan of the theatre. In fact I could count on both hands how many plays I have seen in my life and still have fingers to spare.

My friend Candice and I watched the play at the Oxford Playhouse on Tuesday the 29th October. It looked to be a sellout.

The cast were the following:

Rebus: A Game Called Malice is a stage play co-written by Ian Rankin and Simon Reade that brings the iconic Scottish detective, John Rebus, to a new, theater setting. Unlike traditional Rebus mysteries set in gritty Edinburgh streets, this production confines its drama to a single, lushly decorated dining room set in one of the most expensive streets in Edinburgh and the UK; Heriot Row, where guests have gathered for a murder mystery dinner party. However, true to Rebus’s world, the evening quickly becomes more sinister as the fiction blurs into real suspense and danger.

Gray O’Brien’s portrayal of Rebus, has charisma and nuanced detachment as he roams the set, breaking the fourth wall to share his detective insights with the audience. This approach gives a layered texture to the mystery, as Rebus’s observations provide an almost noir-style internal dialogue that engages the audience directly. Director Loveday Ingram’s staging further emphasizes a claustrophobic atmosphere, with Terry Parsons’s lavish set and lighting by Matthew Eagland creating a suspenseful, almost stifling ambiance that mirrors the tension among the characters. The show has intrigue and dark humor, and I wondered after the fast paced first act if the production could maintain this pace in the second act. It does.​

Abigail Thaw’s performance was delightful and during the times where she had no dialogue she showed great ability to react to the other actors and facially to let us the audience know what she is thinking.

If there is a criticism it is the thinly written character of Candida. Her whole personality and character were based around her relationship with her Iphone. At times the character appeared to be no more than a self obsessed teenager rather than a twenty something who barely interacts with the other characters. It’s possible that was the intention but for me it didn’t work.

The clever dialogue and moments of genuine wit are wonderful and I was surprised at how engaged I become in the story and performances. For Rebus fans and newcomers alike, the play offers a fresh take on a familiar character while exploring the darker corners of human motives.

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Candice and I were fortunate to meet Abigail Thaw after the show. We talked for about ten to fifteen minutes and she was a delight. She showed genuine interest in being part of the conversation by not only answering our questions but willingly added to the conversation. Having asked about Russell Lewis (the writer and creator of the Endeavour series) as I was concerned about his sudden disappearance from all social media, Abigail said he is well and enjoying spending time with his family having the feeling of being ‘burnt out’ after not only writing the entire Endeavour series but also adapting and writing for the TV series, Grace.

Abigail mentioned that she may be appearing in a new play but didn’t want to jinx it by mentioning what it is. She said she was exhausted from having to move every week to a new theatre and of course acting in the play every night and also the matinees. I was too shy to ask for a selfie but I did get her autograph.

Below is the programme. All rights are reserved with the publishers.

 

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