Writer: Anthony Shaffer
Director: Rachel Kavanaugh
Hailed in the programme as the ‘world’s greatest thriller’, Anthony Shaffer’s Sleuth is a little more plodding than puzzling in this revival of the playwright’s hit work.
Shaffer’s play centres around the unusual crime writer Andrew Wyke (Todd Boyce) who revels within the mind games he creates inspired by the detective fiction that has made him. This throws him into a power struggle with Milo Tindle (Neil McDermott), with the pair psychologically butting heads over Andrew’s estranged wife, and Milo’s new fiance, Marguerite. What follows is a two hour play in which both characters attempt to one-up each other, and while there are moments of real intrigue, this production never really gets going until the end.
The lead pair bounce off of each other well enough. Boyce’s incredibly, and at some points frustratingly, verbose Andrew indulges in the ‘games’ he has made up for him and Milo to play. Boyce does capture the baffling nature of Andrew’s character well, swinging from debonair writer to violence with ease, and the character does leave you guessing his true motives throughout, which Boyce presents well. His interaction with McDermott’s Milo gain in suspense and tension as the piece unfolds, though the pair do, at times, miss opportunities to really emphasise some of the piece’s light-hearted, absurd, moments.
It is these shifts in tone that make the production swing from being genuinely quite gripping to on occasions frightfully dull. The exchanges in the exposition struggle to gain traction, but the production is saved by the closing moments of both acts as the reality of the pair’s situation becomes clear. When it hits, there is genuine intrigue here, but this is sporadic. The idea of crime writer Andrew being trapped in a web of mystery at his own doing, mirroring his own crime novels, is a clever idea but the piece never really gets you guessing at anything. It is more a battle of wits which, though when it does come to its conclusion, is well executed by the pair.
Julie Godfrey’s set design throws us into Andrew’s country manor nicely. The set is filled with oddities that match Andrew’s character and go some way to increasing the tension levels of the piece. There are some neat special effects included too, particularly as Act One draws to a close, and the inclusion of a terrifying sailor animatronic which switches on at random intervals is a little creepy.
Despite some of this production’s drawbacks, why Shaffer’s play Sleuth remains so popular is clear to see. The psychological twists and turns between Andrew and Milo do have some mileage, and this does culminate in a gripping showdown between the pair. It is a shame though that the rest of the production does not quite have the same momentum and pace as its finale does. It never feels overly tense, or particularly thrilling, until both acts close, getting far too bogged down in plodding verbal exchanges, and while the pay off is eventually worth it, it takes a while to get there.
Runs until 11 May 2024, then continues tour.