⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A classic mystery with melodramatic flourishes and tense dramatics” – Small House Big Trips
20 years after his passing, the will of Cyrus West, a rich old eccentric, is being read at his country home at the stroke of midnight. Cyrus so specified this for his will, as he had grown tired and frustrated of his relatives whilst he was alive and so decided to pass his estate onto the next generation of his family in the hope that the greed, selfishness and animosity that he saw in his immediate family would not run to them. However, in his mansion all is not as it seems.
Running at the Alex until 9th October, The Cat and the Canary is the classic mystery that you may not have heard of. The original play was published in 1922, and has been adapted a number of times over the years. You can certainly see its influence on a number of classic whodunnits that share some of the same elements: And Then There Were None (1939) and The Mousetrap (1957) by Agatha Christie both share similar set-ups. The recent film Knives Out with Daniel Craig also certainly owes some inspiration to The Cat and The Canary.
This new production has a number of famous faces attached to it: Tracy Shaw formerly of Coronation Street plays Anabelle West, Antony Costa previously of boyband Blue is Paul Jones and Britt Ekland of James Bond fame is the faithful housekeeper Mrs Pleasant.
It is certainly not all doom and gloom: along with the spooky setting there are quite a few laughs along the way as the cast of characters scare and surprise each other during their stay at the mansion.
We really enjoyed the production overall. The cast are clearly having a great time on stage, being able to let loose with melodramatic flourishes and tense dramatics across the boards. The creatives have done a fantastic job on some of the more unsung elements of theatre. The sound design and effects are excellent, creepy and tense when needed and with some wonderful practical effects that could have you jumping out of your seat. The set design is wonderful, the main set of the mansions library the perfect canvas for long flickering shadows and windblown curtains as deep and dark secrets are explored.
For tickets to the show, please click here. Tickets start at £13.
Disclaimer: We were invited along to the press showing. All views are entirely our own. Photographs by Paul Coltas.