by Ian Diddams
images by Playing Up Theatre Company
When is a mousetrap not a mousetrap? When it’s written by Tom Stoppard…
If you have seen “The Mousetrap” you may find elements of “The Real Inspector Hound” quite familiar. Or alternatively, if once having seen “The Real inspector Hound” you then progress to seeing “The Mousetrap” you may find elements of that show quite familiar…
“The Mousetrap” of course being a play by Agatha Christie that is the London West End’s longest running play, performed ever since 1952 with only a lockdown enforced break in all that time. Famously, audiences are asked not to reveal the solution. Tom Stoppard, allegedly, found this requirement somewhat tedious and so set out to write his own, similar, play. You would ideally want to see both however to fully understand what he created.
“The Real Inspector Hound” is also famously known for being a play-within-a-play; that is, a play in a theatre where the story is about a play. Stoppard though arguably takes this one step further especially as the surreal activities of the second half of the play unfold, as it becomes a play within a play within a play… the complexities of what that entails are best learned by seeing Stoppard’s excellently bizarre play!
The Playing Up Theatre Company present this show this week at the Rondo, Theatre, Larkhall, on the eastern extremities of Bath. In it they take Stoppard’s already surreal comedy and add even more layers to it… not only is their performance of Stoppard’s urine extraction of Agatha Christie, but they have added hilarious homages to “The Play That Goes Wrong,” “Acorn Antiques” and even “Monty Python,” especially in the first half – the second half is bonkers enough to not need any additional layers, but the surrealism is excellently portrayed with good pace and no blinking of an eyebrow – audiences need to stay awake and in tune and to have listened attentively to the opening fifteen minutes to get all the nuances going on!
Stoppard used to be a theatre critic himself, and uses this knowledge as a vehicle to extract the urine to that demographic. The two critics, Moon and Birdboot, played by Andrew Chapman and Simon Shorrock respectively, certainly portray two characters full of self-importance and one upmanship, though from opposite ends of the ethical spectrum and the two actors capture this interaction excellently. James Coy adeptly and gruffly spins his way around the stage in a wheelchair as the physically challenged brother-in-law Major Magnus Muldoon, overly protective of his sister-in-law and threatening dark retribution to any man displaying intentions towards her. But is he what he seems to be ?
The star of the show – if one may be permitted to pick any one actor out of a superb line out anyway – for me though was Anne Hipperson as Mrs. Drudge the housekeeper. Her self-confessed homage to Mrs Overall from “Acorn Antiques” is perfect – some exquisite comedic timing. The only thing missing from the portrayal was Stoppard failing, sadly, to provide her with a line of “Two sugars” during the painfully brilliant coffee scene.
Simon Gascoyne, smooth, suave, and sophisticated wooer of women was played by Jordan Phillpots, oozing self-confidence and smarm from every pore, while Felicity Cunningham, played by Leah Brine, the breathless, suspicious, doubly wooed young lady was suitably, deliciously aghast at the abhorrent menfolk in her life.
Then there was the almost obligatory femme fatale for such country house whodunnits – Sophie Brooks as Lady Cynthia Muldoon. Outwardly a devoted wife to her missing husband, but privately a hot bed of passion for passing fancies, Sophie mixed M’Lady’s brooding, sultry character in the farcical first act, and surreal second half to perfection, another actor with perfect comedic timing.
Which leaves just Inspector Hound himself – as ever perfectly played by the ever talented Richard Chivers. Or then again – is he the “Real Inspector Hound”?
That leaves just one more character on stage … mentioned several times, but hidden, then revealed – twice. No names, no pack drill, but the character never puts a foot out of place, and remains faultlessly in character and on stage for the entire show.
The set, by cast and crew, is a simple one as befits a typical country house murder mystery, with the use of the Rondo’s rear “cubby hole” option as the theatre seats used by Moon and Birdboot. Costumes fitted the period setting of 1930s upper class types, and technical design, operation and support was handled with aplomb by Darian Nelson and Emily Smith. This just leaves kudos for wonderful direction by Darian Nelson, abetted by superb stage management – also stepping into the fold of tech team for technical reasons – by Diluki O’Beirne.
I can’t praise this performance enough. From the pure delivery of Stoppard’s farcical surrealism, to the directorial tweaks and homages so well delivered by the cast, to use of Bluetooth technology to really sell on stage audio, everything gelled so well.
So all that remains now is to advise you all – go and see this play wherever you can and see if you can spot who is… “The Real Inspector Hound.”
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