Review: THE OTHER SIDE OF MURDER, Blackpool Grand Theatre - Tour
Photo credit: Manuel Harlan
The Other Side of Murder may well be the third and final instalment in Torben Betts’ ‘murder trilogy’ but it is a piece of theatre that stands up to scrutiny in its own right.
It’s one of those plays where you sense something is a little bit off and that a twist is surely coming down the line and headed right for you - however, you can’t quite place when, where or what form it will take. It is also, at times, wickedly funny.
This latest murder play sees celebrated TV medium Darius Divine (played by Rufus Hound), host of hit light-entertainment show The Other Side, planning a family dinner to celebrate his estranged daughter Jen (Beth Lilly) returning home from Australia.
Proceedings take a dramatic turn though when his lover Laura (Aisha Jawando) turns up at the worst possible moment and, in a classic case of mistaken identity, befriends Darius’s wife Susannah (Carla Mendonça) before tragedy strikes.
The Other Side of Murder showcases Betts’ writing skills, much of it delivered by the sharp-tongued Susannah - but perhaps the show’s strongest comedic performance comes from Susie Blake, as her dotty Gilbert and Sullivan loving mother Miriam.
She is a free spirit, who frequently bursts into song and outwardly expresses her disdain at her daughter for marrying Darius (real name, Peter Boggs). She also strongly suspects Hound’s character is a fraud reliant on cold reading and listening in on his victim’s - sorry, clients - conversations.
But like all good dinner parties on the stage, the evening soon unravels and there is something hilariously chilling about the way Susannah approaches the spiralling situation. Meanwhile, Hound brings the audience along for the ride, somehow masterfully balance the voice of reason with being at the centre of the chaos.
The Other Side of Murder doesn’t quite reach the same heights as Betts’ previous work Invincible; it has less to say beyond the constraints of the play itself but it remains engaging and never really loses pace, thanks to the shrewd direction of Philip Franks.
There are some notable performances from the leading members of the company that render it worth seeing alone but also, a word for Colin Falconer’s detailed set design. The play may have been performed at Blackpool’s iconic Grand Theatre but, for two hours at least, the audience was transported to a twisted glance at suburbia.
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Tom Ambrose