Belgrade Theatre review: Looking Good Dead

Looking Good Dead, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, to March 12.

Review by Margaret Mather

If you love Peter James’ books, you will enjoy this play. It's not, perhaps, as sinister as the book, but nonetheless enjoyable.

The play is an adaptation by award-winning writer Shaun McKenna and features Adam Woodyatt and Laurie Brett (Ian and Jane Beale in EastEnders) as Tom and Kellie Bryce. The pair play their parts well, making a believable partnership. And Luke Ward Wilkinson is excellent as their stroppy teenage son Max.

The play starts when Tom finds a flash drive on a train and takes it home, supposedly to find the owner. Things take a nasty turn when Max manages to break the code and he and Tom realise they’re viewing a "snuff" video. From then on in, all hell breaks loose. Kidnap and torture follow as the family is torn apart.

It's a good job that Inspector Roy Grace (played by Harry Long) is on the case. He and his team manage to track down the villains and save the family, but there are lots of twists and turns along the way with a nasty surprise at the end.

The set is simple but effective. Most of the action takes place at the Bryce home with a clever projection of the video on to the wall. You can clearly see all the action streaming from the laptop. The police station slides into place easily, although the music that accompanies the set is overloud and feels false.

Overall, this is a good adaptation, with excellent performances, but I would have liked to see more of Inspector Grace, who features heavily in the books.

Tickets from: www.belgrade.co.uk

Pictured: Adam Woodyatt and Laurie Brett.