The Lady Vanishes
New Theatre, Cardiff, Tuesday 16th July
***
A regular staple of the New Theatre’s seasons, the folks behind The Agatha Christie Theatre Company have expanded after a decade of producing Christie plays with The Classic Thriller Theatre Company, casting their net on wider work. Here they present a stage adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1938 classic The Lady Vanishes. The story centres around Iris, a young socialite travelling on train from pre-war Austria to England. Iris quickly befriends Miss Froy, a sweet Children’s Governess, but when Froy suddenly disappears Iris begins to investigate the strange goings-on with her journey, beginning with the fact that each passenger denies having ever seen Miss Froy on the train…
From the get-go, the film’s score (Ride of the Valkyries) and the distant sound of steam trains scratchily emanating through the theatre’s intercoms replicates the vintage warmth of crackly black and white British classics, with this achievement proving to be one of the show’s greatest achievements. As the curtain opens on an Austrian train station under the Anschluss Nazi annexation of the country, The Lady Vanishes presents itself as a moody, tactile production. While the subtle pre-war ominousness of the film is utterly lost with this production’s instantaneous swastika banners and leather-clad Nazi officer, it simultaneously presents the show at its most confident, with a dramatically heightened atmosphere and near pulp-inflected imagery.
While one or two further moments share this initial moody atmosphere and enjoyably toybox approach to WW2 iconography, the production leaves this potential side largely untapped, instead focussing on its comedic aspects. Choosing to play up some of the film’s more far-fetched aspects for further laughs rather than adapting and improving on these flaws, the piece winds up sacrificing a lot of its dramatic potential, with certain characters and situations utterly lacking in threat. Thankfully, these comedic moments prove to be charmingly well-handled, with Robert Duncan and Ben Nealon stealing the show as the iconic pair of cricket-loving Englishmen Charters and Caldicott.
While the classically-styled script (newly adapted by Antony Lampard) is a joy to hear, and Roy Marsden’s direction occasionally bursts into life, the piece only ever hints at the sharp physicality and technical wizardry needed to truly carry it. With some interesting components working away within this production, I’m intrigued to see what The Classic Thriller Theatre Company play with in adapting future work. Ultimately, The Lady Vanishes suggests at something greater in moments, but still remains a cosy, enjoyable time.
words EDWARD LEE
At the New Theatre until Sat 20 July. Tickets: from £12.00. Info: www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk