Last night Xene and I attended the opening night of Peter James Wish You Were Dead UK Tour at Norwich Theatre Royal.
I have already seen two Peter James Plays at Norwich and both were excellent, so I was looking forward to seeing the latest installment and introducing Xene to the Grace series of murders, as she loves murder mysteries but missed out on seeing The Mousetrap.
Following on from five hit stage shows and the new acclaimed ITV series, GRACE, the work of best selling author, Peter James returns to Norwich, with the world premiere stage adaption of WISH YOU WERE DEAD.
An all star cast includes George Rainsford, who returns to the stage after eight years as Ethan Hardy in BBC One’s Casualty.
Clive Mantle, much loved for many roles including Casualty, Game of Thrones and the iconic ‘puddle’ scene in Vicar of Dibley and the multi talented actress, novelist, podcaster and winner of ‘I’m A Celebrity’, Giovanna Fletcher.
Adapted exclusively for the stage, Wish You Were Dead is the latest thrilling instalment of the Grace Series – the most successful modern day crime stage franchise, since Agatha Christie.
When Detective Superintendent Roy Grace and Cleo Morey take their first holiday together, they hope for a few days away from their dark worlds of murder and the mortuary. But their dream escape turns out to be the holiday from hell.
The opening scene sees Roy Grace (George Rainsford) and Cleo Morley (Giovanna Fletcher) arrive at their holiday home with baby Noah and their friend Kaitlynn (Gemma Stroyan), and it becomes apparent its not exactly how it appeared online! More creepy castle than modern chateau!
They are expecting to arrive at the same time as Kaitlynn’s partner Jack Alexander (Alex Stedman) who also works with Roy, but there’s no sign of him!
Instead they were met by the ‘delightful’ Madame L’Eveque (Rebecca McKinnis) who could certainly do with taking a few hospitality courses!
As with all the Peter James novels, nothing is ever as it seems! But i’m not giving too much away, as it would spoil it, so if you want to know what happens, make sure you book tickets to go and see it!
Our Thoughts on Wish You Were Dead
Giovanna and George worked well as a couple and their interaction with the ‘baby’ Noah was excellent, she definitely had that killer instinct when it came to protecting her child!
For me the one that stole the show was Clive Mantle as Curtis, he has always been a larger than life character and tonight’s performance was no exception, I definitely wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley, his character was foreboding but with some humorous lines.
His son Brent played by Callum Sheriden-Lee was also very powerful and you definitely felt that this young actor is one to watch in the future.
It was lovely to see Leon Stewart back in the role of Glenn Branson, who we saw in Looking Good Dead and as the builder in The House on Cold Hill.
The set was designed well, giving the appearance of three separate areas of the spooky house and the decor was perfect for a creepy castle, not one i’d want to spend the night in!
The sound and lighting were great, and the dodgy electrics definitely need looking at, the cries were timed well and the interaction from all of the cast members with the baby made for a believable infant on stage.
Overall a great evening out, and another success for the Peter James franchise, look out Agatha, he’s trying to catch you up!
Wish You Were Dead Ticket Information Norwich :
Ticket prices: £10 – £38.50
Age recommendation: 13+ must be accompanied by an adult
Concessions
All Friends 1/2 Price First Night Drama
Friends signed up before Jun 22 – £2 OFF Bands A-D
Friends signed up from Jun 22 – 5% OFF
Best & Gold Friends from Jun 22 – 10% OFF
Groups – Mon – Thu
O60s £3 OFF Midweek Matinee – Band A-C
Wish You Were Dead kicked off in Bromley last week, and Norwich is the second city to host it, with many more dates and locations available through until July 2023, with further dates to be announced, so wherever you live, there should be a theatre near you to go and watch this.
You can check out all the dates and locations for Wish you Were Dead HERE