The Murder Game
by James Farwell
Directed by John Tillinger
Kings Head Theatre
11 March to 19 April 2009
A review by Alice MacKenzie for EXTRA! EXTRA!
The aptly named The Murder Game felt like a gently funny game of Cluedo played out by a vibrantly energetic cast. The characters seemed to fall firmly into the realms of cliché: the ball busting cuckolded career woman out to get her cheating politician husband; her Latin lover; a very camp gambling Brit secretary/butler; and an escaped killer. Michael Praed was smooth and charming as the slightly sleazy, unfaithful politician. It was he who felt most believable in a way, perhaps because writer James Farewell also works as a successful political consultant. Josefina Gabriella gave a sexy, sparky turn as Praed’s vengeful wife. She also happens to be a New Orleans Judge who dreams of murdering her husband and his blonde bimbo girlfriend. The clichés stayed firmly in place throughout the play and seemed neither to aim to comment on the stereotypes or add anything new to them. The plot twists were down to Agatha Christie style intrigue, and the characters referred to the events as being like something out of a crime novel or film. This gave the whole thing a slight sense of déjà vu. More unusual was The Murder Game’s use of video. The characters interacted with onscreen courtroom scenes or watched satirical political commercials. The video gave the play an instant TV/film reference that went beyond the walls of the set. The mix between video and stage felt slightly uneasy at the beginning, but came into it’s own during the media Cold War that the couple wage against each other. The play picked up in pace after the interval and seemed to find its feet as a criminal comedy. The lines got sharper and the plots twisted happily. Gabriella’s Judge became intriguing as a representative of State Law fascinated by tales of crime. Gabrielle gave her character a visible vicarious enjoyment of the tales of a criminal who lives the crimes she long to commit. The Murder Game was interesting in its references to the quirks and oddities of the New Orleans legal system and American state politics. Although some of the finer details passed me by until I read the program note: such as the reference to New Orleans French influenced State Law. Perhaps the play was part ode, part satire of the vibrancy and quirkiness of New Orleans itself, in a country where both Judge and accused carry guns and every citizen has the right to defend themselves. The Murder Game is simply a fun way to spend an evening in one of London’s lovely pub theatres.
Box Office: 0844 412 2953 www.kingsheadtheatre.org Tickets: £23/£18, £15 Concessions. Saturday Matinees £12 (all tickets) King’s Head Theatre, 115 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 1QN
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ary Couzens