Gaslight

Gaslight, a Victorian Mystery Thriller, didn’t quite hit the mark at the performance I reviewed.

The outstanding set gave the audience a true feeling of the era as did the costumes.

Brenda Warren had assembled a talented cast but with a script containing many similarly themed passes with the Man of the House – Jack Manningham played by Nathan Schulz berating his subservient wife Bella, played by Sarah Cooke, the play became a trifle tedious, especially in the first act. David Fraser as ex-Police Detective Rough, on the trail of a villain of yesteryear (Jack Manningham) brought understanding and empathy to the story.

Marie Dickson, the housekeeper was suitably dour and Rianna Hartney-Smith the maid, turned into quite the flirt when the opportunity presented itself.

The Community Centre stage is very wide and I feel that the set could have been a little more compact, adding to the gloom of the flickering gaslights and that may have made for a slicker performance.

Having said that, the audience appreciated and enjoyed the production.

Roger McKenzie