We’re back in the early 1980s in Richard Harris’s entertaining play for a trio of actors, the characters all concerned in some way with The Business of Murder.
Mr Stone (Miles Gallant) is concerned about his son after he arrives home unexpectedly, frightened by an unwise decision.
He calls on a non-nonsense police superintendent, Hallett (Gary Webster), who has come to Mr Stone’s apartment for a chat. It’s a slow beginning, but eventually matters warm up.
In the twists and turns of this psychological drama, is anything as it seems? And where does a TV playwright, Dee (Charlotte Hunter), fit into all this?
With a detailed set by Lily Minores and Rob McKinley peppered with period props, notably a newspaper report on the Yorkshire Ripper, and a telephone which takes centre stage in the plot.
You’ll be entertained throughout while trying to guess exactly what’s going on. Gallant, sometimes alone on stage, has to convince through a lot of dialogue, and he does this beautifully.
A man you might pass in the street, with no memory of his face. A non-descript, quiet, inoffensive sort – but is this really what is within?
And what of Hallett, played by Webster as a cocky, rather jaded, but dedicated copper? Can anything rattle his cage once he crosses Stone’s threshold?
Hunter’s Dee has the second act to shine, and she conveys a creeping sense of unease brilliantly, physically retreating into herself while retaining a sheen of professional politeness.
The Business of Murder is briskly directed by Nick Bromley, who allows Harris’s clues and dead ends to reveal themselves without making anything obvious.
At several points, you may be wrongfooted by the dramatic flair on display. There was an audible gasp or two as the pieces of the puzzle assembled.
A marvellous ‘whydunit’, as Harris puts it in the programme notes, that doesn’t need scare tactics to leave an audience intrigued, involved, perplexed, and totally satisfied by the end.
****.5
The Business of Murder continues at Theatre at the Tabard until 23 Nov 2024. Tickets here.
Image credit: Matt Collins