The Deadline

This new production from the Shifting Sands theatre company was an ironic tribute to film noir. There were lots of references (most of which I am sure I missed but for the record Rebecca, The Maltese Falcon, North by North-West, The Postman always rings twice … and stretching the genre a bit – The Seventh Seal?). There were flash backs and forwards, bits that didn’t make sense at the time, the glamorous flirtatious dame, the evil villains, the interior monologue about unexplained events and pending doom … This was combined with the promised clowning in the form of slapstick moving and collapsing doors and screens and mime in the form of the absence of props and effects for car chases, post office sorting office – and axe murders! The cast played multiple parts with enthusiasm and wit … including rounding up the audience from the cellar when they were ready to start the second half!!