★★★☆☆
Peter James’ 2022 best-selling novel, Picture You Dead, is the 18th installation in DCI Grace’s adventures, delving into the world of paint and murder. But is the stage adaptation also a killer success?
Harry (Ben Cutler) and Freya Kipling (Fiona Wade) stumble across a painting at a car boot sale, only to discover it could be an infamous missing masterpiece worth millions. They enlist their “copyist” friend Dave Hegarty (Peter Ash) to create a duplicate to keep after the original is authenticated and sold. The fine art world turns out to be a little more volatile than anyone could have imagined when sketchy collector Stuart Piper (Nicholas Maude) and henchwoman Roberta Kilgore (Jodie Steele) sniff out the discovery. Meanwhile, DSI Roy Grace (George Rainsford) and Bella Moy (Gemma Stroyan) investigate a cold case linking to another priceless painting from the same collection.
The curtains rise, revealing a quaint bungalow, Hearty’s crafty art studio filled with a myriad of famous art copies, and Piper’s extravagant estate with hard wooden walls, hidden panels and flickering candlelight. Adrian Linford’s set design initially feels vast and sprawling with its self-contained spaces interlocking in one space. However, the set’s stasis and long action-less dialogue leaves it feeling a little stagnant by the end.
Indeed, much of the narrative is made up of droning exposition dumps, fatiguing dialogue, and a heavy sprinkling of eye-rolling jokes (although the Lowry references went down a treat). Some performances feel needlessly exaggerative, almost patronising the audience as they feed us information – all of which will be used heavy-handedly in some “shocking” plot twist or another. Whether it was a ring, a candle, a swivel chair, or a diabetes monitor, every conversation point foreshadowed a clue or event, lacking any of the subtly of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery masterclasses.
Inevitably, the plot is largely predictable (my guest and I guessed the final twist 20 minutes in, despite the odd misdirection). There’s no murder mystery since the killer is revealed off-the-bat, but the show instead prioritises the duplicated painting thread for the majority of its runtime.
The Kiplings (not related to the famous writer or cake maker as we are incessantly reminded) are a cute couple but tediously incompetent, with a perplexing amount of misguided trust and unlocked patio doors… They’re “just asking to be burgled”. Their trip to a parodied Antiques Roadshow, accompanied by a jovially pompous mock-up parody score by Max Pappenheim, and the excited but restrained painting expert, Oliver De Souza (Adam Morris), were easel-y one of the show’s finest highlights. Others were mainly unintentionally hue-morous mistakes like the broken Chippendale, or the clunky candelabra fall, or the uncoordinated and unrealistic fighting scenes. The final twist involved a financially baffling choice since copies of a missing masterpiece would supposedly still hold their worth.
Stand-out performances came from Corrie legend Peter Ash as the charismatic and cunning Dave Hegarty. His coy, quick-witted personality make up the show’s best comedic moments. He’s endearing but his dubious past and shady remarks have the audience second guessing his reliability. George Rainsford was a fascinating Roy Grace, with warmth and intuition, even though the character felt a little underdeveloped and narratively dry.
All in all, Picture You Dead is no Agatha Christie mystery, failing to capture the brushstroke of genius her works bring to the genre. Clues and exposition are far too frequent, and it’s often weighed down by monotonous dialogue and unimaginative “clues”. It’s still an enjoyable evening with an interesting concept at its core, and certain cast members and jokes captivating the audience, but its predictability is its downfall.
Peter James’ Picture You Dead runs at Lowry (Lyric Theatre) until April 19 and tours the UK until July 26.
JADAR 