Writer: Ross McGregor
Director: Kate Bannister
Crime writer Jeremy Roland is in luck. He inherits a lavish country home from his late Aunt, along with a lucrative contract with her former literary agent. The catch? He must ensure his next novel is a bestseller, or the deal is off the table. Holed up in his writer’s retreat, he gets lost in his words, dragged into the storylines of his characters almost as though they have a lives of their own. But balancing his book deadline with the eerie presence that seems to be haunting his home proves to be a lot harder than he’d anticipated.
Kindred Spirits, written by the immensely witty Ross McGregor, is a multi-genre production with so many characters, sub-plots and interlinking narratives that it’s a wonder how McGregor managed to merge it all together so smoothly. Paying homage to and taking inspiration from classic film noir storylines, farcical comedies, and timeless romances there is something here for everyone. Each narrative arc is engaging and entertaining, full of puns, and subtle, but clever one-liners.
As if being a hybrid genre performance isn’t enough to showcase the casts many talents, the trio also take on an impressive 12 roles between them. Using nothing more than multiple accents and minimal costume changes, they still manage to make each character distinctive and exciting. Ben Higgins goes from being a mob boss, village doctor, female housekeeper to even the family dog at one point. Never breaking character, he has the audiences in stitches, plays each role with perfection and is definitely an actor to look out for in the future. Rachel Summers’ contrasting depictions of the romance-obsessed Lily and Russian gangster Natalya are fantastic – even more so when she breaks into song and showcases her talented vocals too. Bryan Moriarty plays stiff upper-lipped Jeremy Roland alongside renegade private detective Harry Lambert. His shift between the two characters is remarkable, at times switching between the two rapidly, only using the well-utilised varying lighting and sound cues from Robbie Butler and Julian Starr.
It’s a very fast-paced show, which considering the many, many plates that are being spun is fantastic. The endearing set design by Karl Swinyard automatically transports you to the vast country home of the late Aunt Edna and works well as the consistent backdrop of both main narratives. Running at two hours long, the plot twists, musical comedy numbers and multiple storylines all somehow culminate together at the end in a brilliant finale tying up all the loose ends. McGregor is definitely destined for success with this multifaceted masterpiece.
Runs until 8 January 2022
The Reviews Hub Score
Multifaceted Masterpiece
