What do a policeman and a playwright have in common? Unspeakable crime, as it happens. Twist and double twist await the audience in this nail-bitingly tense thriller...
The lights go up on a seedy flat. A living room, a kitchenette, and a mysterious trunk. A mysteriously heavy trunk. And a man called Stone, who has called in Superintendent Hallett. They are looking for Stone’s wayward son who is on the run from the drugs mafia. The son is curiously absent. Later, playwright Dee accepts an invite to meet Stone’s sick wife. The wife is also curiously absent. Dee and Hallet, however, discover they have a surprising connection. What’s going on? The Business of Murder, that’s what.
The Business of Murder, by Richard Harris, first premiered in 1981 and ran for eight years in the West End. From today’s perspective it reads almost as a period piece. Rotary phones, Barlow and Watt on the box, and absolutely no CCTV. Factors that may be rather important to the plot.
the play keeps us guessing up to the very end
Secrets are about to be revealed. Grisly, unsolved murders surface. Guilt bubbles over while consequences are dealt out. And yet, the play keeps us guessing up to the very end, with twist after twist and a finale reminiscent of Sleuth.
With only three characters in the play, the cast of John Goodrum (Hallet), David Gilbrook (Stone), and Sarah Wynne Kordas (Dee) work hard and keep the audience on their toes.
The Business of Murder is one of three plays in this year's Colin Mcintyre Season, an annual event at the Theatre Royal for the summer holidays. The other two this year are Deathtrap and Death by Fatal Murder. Please visit the Theatre Royal and Concert Hall’s web site for the full dates.
Anyone who enjoys a murder mystery with reasonably priced seats, should not be disappointed by the Business of Murder.
The Business of Murder play at the Theatre Royal from Tuesday August 26 until Saturday August 30.
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