This latest Peter James stage adaption is described as a ‘whodunnit?’ type of play, but it’s not really that, says MKFM’s Tom Johnston.
You pretty much know who the baddies are, in terms of ‘who killed who?’. But it does get you thinking about ‘who’s got what?’.
I’m not going to give anything away as that would spoil it for anyone thinking of going to Milton Keynes Theatre this week. But it doesn’t take a genius to work out that this clever play is about the whereabouts of a valuable piece of art.
Down on their luck, Harry and Freya Kipling, played by the lively duo of Ben Cutler and Fiona Wade, inadvertently buy a rare and expensive painting at a boot sale and don’t realise quite how valuable it is.
When word gets around that the masterpiece is back in circulation, it leads to a whole new world of deceit, greed and… murder.
It’s down to detective Roy Grace (Casualty’s George Rainsford) to sort out the mess. Meanwhile, cheeky art forger (sorry, copyist) Dave Hegarty, played by Coronation Street veteran Peter Ash – he starred in more than 600 episodes on the Cobbles – adds humour, intrigue and interest to the plot.
Where is the real painting? How many forgeries are there now kicking about? And what lengths will crooks such as dealer Stuart Piper (Nicholas Maude) and his sidekick Roberta Kilgore (Jodie Steele) go to, to get their painting. It’s a rare piece that would cost an arm and a leg to own. Unfortunately for some, that turns out to be more than just a limb – it costs them their life.
But, murder aside, this is a lively, jolly and fun play with some laughs thrown in, plus a few jump-in-your-seat moments for good measure.
As art-inspired dramas go, this one’s priceless.
Picture You Dead is at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 10th May.
