Seeing a good play 'live' at the theatre can be exhilarating. 'Gaslight', a tense psychological thriller, had me gripped from the start.
You see a strict husband psychologically abuse his distraught wife in a high-ceilinged dark Victorian sitting room. 'Sounds like fun!' I hear you say sarcastically. Seeing this less than a few meters away from me, I felt very uncomfortable too. The way in which Mr. Manningham reprimanded his wife for being forgetful and pale was horrific.
He accuses her of taking paintings down from the walls and hiding them when he is out. Mrs. Manningham cannot for the life of her ever remember having done such a thing. But of course, she must have hidden the paintings, because neither her husband nor the two servants have. As a result, Mr Manningham is convinced that his wife is going mad and is at little pains to carefully, if not patiently, explain this to her.
But then a jovial old detective by the name of Rough pays Mrs. Manningham a visit whilst her husband is out one night and the plot literally thickens by the minute from then on in. A dark history of murder and deception is gradually unravelled.
If you have chance, go and see this play. The acting is exemplary and the plot is magnificent in its suspense and clarity. Even after some sort of resolution at the end of the play, the utterly harrowing expression on Mrs. Manningham's face does not allow you to leave the theatre feeling relieved (see picture).
Looking forward to exploring the work of Patrick Hamilton further.
You see a strict husband psychologically abuse his distraught wife in a high-ceilinged dark Victorian sitting room. 'Sounds like fun!' I hear you say sarcastically. Seeing this less than a few meters away from me, I felt very uncomfortable too. The way in which Mr. Manningham reprimanded his wife for being forgetful and pale was horrific.
He accuses her of taking paintings down from the walls and hiding them when he is out. Mrs. Manningham cannot for the life of her ever remember having done such a thing. But of course, she must have hidden the paintings, because neither her husband nor the two servants have. As a result, Mr Manningham is convinced that his wife is going mad and is at little pains to carefully, if not patiently, explain this to her.
But then a jovial old detective by the name of Rough pays Mrs. Manningham a visit whilst her husband is out one night and the plot literally thickens by the minute from then on in. A dark history of murder and deception is gradually unravelled.
If you have chance, go and see this play. The acting is exemplary and the plot is magnificent in its suspense and clarity. Even after some sort of resolution at the end of the play, the utterly harrowing expression on Mrs. Manningham's face does not allow you to leave the theatre feeling relieved (see picture).
Looking forward to exploring the work of Patrick Hamilton further.
Silly me. I always thought 'Gaslight' was an Agatha Christie novel. I always knew it as 'Fanny by Gaslight'. Presumably Mrs Manningham's first name is Fanny? I think the Wikipedia article you flag up gives a good account of Patrick Hamilton's life and work
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