REVIEW
Gaslight
Where: Roxy Theatre
When: To Nov. 2
Rating: four (out of five)
Just in time for Halloween, a new production of an old play offers Victorians some Victorian-era thrills, a dollop of horror and a few laughs.
In some ways, Gaslight seems an unlikely contender for revival. It’s the melodrama that made British playwright Patrick Hamilton a star and it was tremendously popular on both sides of the Atlantic. The problem, at least potentially, is that it’s an oldie, having had its première back in 1938 (some might remember the 1944 film remake with Ingrid Bergman). Often, such period thrillers — whether in film, theatre or book form — fail to translate well over the decades.
What makes Gaslight still relevant and watchable is that its horror is rooted in the psychological, rather like the tales of Edgar Allan Poe.
The play is about Bella (Thea Gill), a high-strung wife whose husband Jack (Adrian Hough) is trying to drive her mad. He pursues this with a sadistic form of mental manipulation. A sociopathic bully, Jack hides grocery bills, pictures and other items, then accuses his wife of having stashed them away. Egged on by her domineering husband, Bella begins to question her own sanity.
When it seems likely poor ol’ Bella’s about to totally go off her nut, who should appear but Det. Rough, played by Wes Borg. A likable chap cut from the same cloth as Sherlock Holmes, Rough fills in a surprisingly slow-to-catch-on Bella as to what nasty Jack’s up to. And the pair enact a plan that sees Bella transform from victim to victor.
This briskly moving production, directed by Brian Richmond, is entertaining enough. A luminous Gill — wearing a spectacular blue dress with bustle — was especially good at capturing Bella’s high-strung intensity. That said, on opening night a climactic scene in which Bella turns the tables on Jack didn’t completely work. We’re supposed to wonder whether she’s following Rough’s agenda or completely flipping her lid. It’s a tricky balance that, while intended to be ambiguous, lacked the clarity to fully convey this as intended.
A top-hatted Hough makes a fine villain, initially showing Bella some kindness (enough to engage our sympathies) before descending into the kind of nefarious shenanigans that make audiences want to boo and hiss.
One can see why Borg was cast as Det. Rough. Surely the juiciest character in terms of complexity, Rough is a bona-fide individual, an eccentric who jokes with oddball glee as he attempts to ensnare a dangerous criminal. In a clever (and almost scene-stealing) performance, Borg made the character his own. Known in this city primarily as a comedian, he’s obviously trying hard to avoid a purely comic turn, something that would disrupt the tone of play.
Much of Gaslight’s appeal lies in the set and costumes, which in this production create a terrific late 19th-century atmosphere. Set designer Bryan Kenney and costumer Graham McMonagle have done an excellent job that reflects great attention to detail (for instance, Borg’s jaunty plaid vest captures the character’s personality perfectly).
Credit, too, goes to Iris MacGregor Bannerman, who not only plays a maid but coached the cast on their convincing English (both upper and lower class) and Scottish accents.