We’ve all had a Holiday From Hell, but Peter James takes it to the next level in his latest stage adaption of WISH YOU WERE DEAD, DS Roy Grace decides to take himself and his family on their first holiday together, but the unthinkable happens and life’s are at risk.
This is the second Peter James stage adaption I have seen, the first being The House on Cold Hill back in March 2019, which starred Joe McFadden and Rita Simons which was excellent, everything Peter James does seems to be excellent! James has written a total of 19 Sunday Times No. 1s and has sold over 21 million copies worldwide, a few of these copies sit in my bookcase.
Roy Grace is played by George Rainsford (best known for portrayal of Consultant Ethan Hardy in Casualty from 2014-2023) I used to watch Casualty and remember the Huntington’s disease storyline Rainsford’s character was involved in, so I knew he could act on screen, and last night proved he is also a great actor on stage.
Giovanna Fletcher plays Cleo, Roy Grace’s girlfriend and mother of his three-month-old son, you may be thinking is this Tom Fletchers Wife? Mario from TOWIE’s sister? No, she isn’t just those things, she is a No 1 selling author, podcaster, queen of the I’m A Celeb jungle, and a bloody good actress, I didn’t know what to expect but I thought she played the role really well and her on stage relationship with her on stage husband Roy Grace was natural and worked.
Brightonian gangster Curtis is played by Clive Mantle, yes Simon Horton from The Vicar of Dibley! Remember the iconic puddle scene? Well Clive Mantle is Geraldine Granger’s love interest in that hilarious episode which I have seen many times. Curtis only appears in the last part of the first half, but everything unravels in the second half, Curtis’s motive for finding Roy and Cleo is revealed.
Also Rebecca Mckinns was hillariours as Madame L’Èvêque, I won’t talk about her character too much as wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.
I loved the set design by Michael Holt, he created the perfect rustic French Chateau which was perfect for this story, lighting by Jason Taylor and sound by Max Pappenheim was seamless and really added to the jumpy spooky vibes the show was going for (it’s the small details which they just got right, the car pulling up outside the Chateau, the sound of the engine stopping, the headlights peeping through the windows, it all looked fantastic and authentic).
The theatre was absolutely packed, which shows what a following Peter James has, and how many people read his books and want to see his stage adaptions. I highly recommend Wish You Were Dead, the first half went by in a flash and left you wanting more, I did kind of guess what was going to happen, but I quite like that, there is nothing worse than something was too farfetched and unrealistic.
Wish You Were Dead is at the Theatre Royal Brighton until Saturday 25th March 2023, matinee shows at 2.30pm on Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday and evening shows at 7.45pm. Click HERE To book.