REBUS A Game Called Malice Festival Theatre Edinburgh 10th September 2024 Review
Rebus: A Game Called Malice is at the Festival Theatre this week (Tuesday 10 to Saturday 14 September), and is a must-see for all fans of Ian Rankin’s iconic detective, John Rebus.
The scene is set before the play starts – a beautifully detailed Georgian dining-room in Edinburgh’s New Town, full of priceless works of art. As Edinburgh citizens, maybe we already have preconceptions about the people who live there, but will we be correct?
Following a dinner party, the hosts and their four guests take part in a murder mystery game created by the hostess, Harriet Godwin (Teresa Banham). As the “plus one” of lawyer Stephanie Jeffries (Abigail Thaw), John Rebus (Gray O’Brien) was unknown to the others, but now that they know he is a former detective, they expect him to be able to solve the clues and find the murderer. Rebus is obviously a bit of an outsider here, amongst these wealthy people, including successful “influencer” Candida (Jade Kennedy), her casino-owning partner Jack Fleming (Billy Hartman), and host Paul Godwin (Neil McKinven).
As was to be expected, Gray O’Brien as Rebus steals the show, in no small part due to the clever and witty script by Ian Rankin and Simon Reade. He is perfect as Rebus, with a slightly dishevelled but still very attractive appearance, and his many self-deprecating comments.
Appropriately for a play set following a dinner party, there are red herrings galore, with many twists and turns in the plot along the way. As Stephanie insists, “Everyone has secrets”, and in this case some of these secrets will change lives if they are revealed, and with John Rebus present, there is a real danger that no-one’s past will remain hidden for much longer.
Review by Lisa Sibbald © 2024
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
The scene is set before the play starts – a beautifully detailed Georgian dining-room in Edinburgh’s New Town, full of priceless works of art. As Edinburgh citizens, maybe we already have preconceptions about the people who live there, but will we be correct?
Following a dinner party, the hosts and their four guests take part in a murder mystery game created by the hostess, Harriet Godwin (Teresa Banham). As the “plus one” of lawyer Stephanie Jeffries (Abigail Thaw), John Rebus (Gray O’Brien) was unknown to the others, but now that they know he is a former detective, they expect him to be able to solve the clues and find the murderer. Rebus is obviously a bit of an outsider here, amongst these wealthy people, including successful “influencer” Candida (Jade Kennedy), her casino-owning partner Jack Fleming (Billy Hartman), and host Paul Godwin (Neil McKinven).
As was to be expected, Gray O’Brien as Rebus steals the show, in no small part due to the clever and witty script by Ian Rankin and Simon Reade. He is perfect as Rebus, with a slightly dishevelled but still very attractive appearance, and his many self-deprecating comments.
Appropriately for a play set following a dinner party, there are red herrings galore, with many twists and turns in the plot along the way. As Stephanie insists, “Everyone has secrets”, and in this case some of these secrets will change lives if they are revealed, and with John Rebus present, there is a real danger that no-one’s past will remain hidden for much longer.
Review by Lisa Sibbald © 2024
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com