Details
Venue: Theatre Royal, Windsor
Dates: 9 January 2019 - 19 January 2019, 8 pm
Our Verdict
What better way to pass a chilly January night than in the company of a classic thriller? Based on Hitchcock’s early masterpiece, The Lady Vanishes is the perfect antidote to your winter blues, a fast-paced, train-based romp full of espionage, mystery and deception.
The spirited Iris is on her way home from occupied Austria to be married to a blue-blooded Lord. On the train, she’s taken under the wing of Miss Froy, a bumbling and kindly old governess. They talk, take tea together, and then Iris dozes off. When she wakes, Miss Froy has disappeared – and her fellow passengers seem determined to deny that she ever existed. Iris must join forces with the hotheaded Max to discover the truth, all the while dodging a sinister cast of silent nuns, murderous magicians and nefarious nerve specialists. The plot chugs along at a rip-roaring pace (rather like a speeding train…), and you’re bound to be on the edge of your seat.
Lorna Fitzgerald and Matt Barber give spirited, energetic performances as Iris and Max – it’s impossible not to root for this resourceful duo. When they kissed, there were audible “ahhhhhs” from the audience. But even this loveable partnership is upstaged by the bromance between Robert Duncan and Ben Nealon, a pair of cricket-obsessed Englishmen who bumble from scene to scene deep in conversation about test matches. They provide welcome comic relief before revealing some useful skills in the final act of the play. Juliet Mills also gives a brilliant turn as Miss Froy, the vanishing lady of the title.
The Lady Vanishes certainly looks good: the set transforms smoothly from cavernous station decked out with swastikas, to a claustrophobic train interior. The characters weave in and out of their carriages, giving us glimpses into their turbulent personal lives, before coming together in a final showdown with the forces of evil. It’s gripping stuff.
That’s not to say the play is perfect. There are a couple of unsuccessful fight scenes in the second Act – at one point, a punch was so obviously fake that it drew chuckles from the audience. The plot doesn’t stand up to much close analysis, although this scarcely matters. Little niggles aside, this is a high-energy, absorbing production that’ll keep you gripped. The perfect entertainment for a winter’s evening.