Written By Frederick Knott
Directed by Jordan Best
Canberra REP at Theatre 3 to 11 March.
Reviewed by Len Power 24 February 2017
Frederick Knott’s play, ‘Wait Until Dark’, which premiered
on Broadway in 1966, is a sinister and entertaining thriller and Jordan Best’s
production at Canberra REP delivers the goods.
Originally set in New York, this production has moved the
locale to London. Three crooks try to
trick a blind woman into handing over a doll filled with drugs accidentally
brought back from Amsterdam by her husband.
They soon discover she’s no pushover.
The role of the blind woman is a tour de force for an
actress and Jenna Roberts, totally believable as a blind woman, gives a
terrific performance of real depth in the role.
As the main crook, Harry Roat, Zach Raffan gives a strong performance as
a charmer who soon shows his true colours as a vicious and determined killer. Riley Bell nicely captures the character of
another crook, Mike Trenton, who has a fatal human streak and Annabel Foulds is
delightful as the feisty schoolgirl neighbour, Gloria.
Thrillers like this with their intricate plotting need a
very specific set design and Michael Sparks has designed a beauty. You could move in and live comfortably in
this basement flat with its attention to detail. Properties by Imogen Thomas blend in
beautifully with the set design. Anna
Senior’s costumes are perfectly in period and suit characters going about their
everyday business.
Darkness is just as important as light in this play and
Cynthia Jolley-Rogers’ lighting design for this play is superb. At first the sound design by Matthew Webster
worked quite well as a type of cinema underscoring but became too obtrusive as
the play went on.
Jordan Best has achieved a high standard in direction once
again with ‘Wait Until Dark’. If you
enjoy sitting in the dark feeling deliciously scared, this production will
certainly give you that experience.
This review was first published in Canberra City News digital edition on Saturday 25 February. Len Power’s reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM’s
‘Artcetera’ and ‘Dress Circle’ programs.