It's time for my review of Gaslight.
Mum and I picked up some last minute upper circle tickets at Richmond Theatre, which was somewhere I'd never sat before at that theatre. I've been going to Richmond Theatre for 9 years, and yet I've never sat in the upper circle! The view was actually really good. My knowledge of the show came purely from what I'd read in the programme just a few minutes before the show. I can happily say that I thoroughly enjoyed Gaslight! The show is a somewhat 'murder mystery', however the murderer is discovered fairly early in the show. The show continues with how the characters will act on this problem and what they must do. The story unravels more and more as the show goes on. Patrick Hamilton does well in building up suspense. Act two excels in this; it is in act two where it truly becomes absolutely fascinating. I especially loved the ending, which I don't want to spoil for those of you who haven't seen it. The show has a strong theme of domestic abuse and mental manipulation, which sadly still happen to this very day. In the end the woman is empowered, which delivers a strong message, and not one to be forgotten. There is a small cast of only five, all of which are amazing! They each contribute a lot to the show and no one becomes a weak link. This is one of the few shows I have seen lately where all the actors were on a par. The set, costume and lighting design were all great, I could not fault them in any way. What makes this particularly impressive is that it is a touring show, where it can be found that one of these (costume, set or lighting) is not always the best of quality. My only problem with the show is that I believe that act one could have been made slightly more interesting. I still liked act one, but there's always ways to improve. Anyway, the show is an absolute delight to watch and I cannot praise it enough. I think it would do very well if it transferred to the West End, specially either Trafalgar Studios or the Duke of York's Theatre.
The featured star of Gaslight is, drum roll please... KARA TOINTON!
This was a tough one to decide, as all five of the cast were great, but eventually I decided to choose Kara. Kara is outstanding! Her character of Bella is manipulated by her husband to make her think she is losing her mind, to the point where she is actually losing her mind. She portrays this perfectly and nailed the ending!
Now for my final verdict on Gaslight. I give Gaslight...
I give this rating because it was a really clever and inventive play that was able to keep me on the edge of my seat throughout the majority of the show.
Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.
Join me next time when I will be reviewing The Glass Menagerie.
Thanks for reading!
-The Reviewer
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