Inside Job – Darlington Civic Theatre

Writer: Brian Clemens

Director: Giles Watling

Reviewer: Ian Cain

The Public Reviews Rating:

If anyone has an enviable reputation for staging solid, slick, and sophisticated productions then it is, undoubtedly, Ian Dickens. A stalwart at Darlington Civic, he has enjoyed seasons there for the past decade, and his latest offering is the psychological thriller ‘Inside Job’.

Written by Brian Clemens (who is also responsible for creating television programmes including ‘Bugs’, ‘Bergerac’, ‘The Professionals’ and ‘The Avengers, and writing for many others, such as ‘The Invisible Man’, ‘Danger Man’, ‘Remington Steele’ and ‘The Father Dowling Mysteries’), the story focuses on a professional safe-cracker, Dutch Holland, who is on the run from Interpol and living it up on the Costa del Sol. An encounter with an attractive young woman leads to him becoming involved in the planning of two separate murders.

It is difficult to review the production without spoiling the plot, but suffice to say that there are enough twists and turns to keep audiences on the edge of their seats throughout. The cast of three – Matt Healy, Michelle Morris and Christopher Villiers – are all tried and tested Ian Dickens performers, and they work well together. The result is a cohesive team who are convincing as the characters they portray.

The set is well-designed and takes the form of a light and airy Mediterranean farmhouse which has been converted into a holiday villa. If I were to highlight one problem it would be the rather unconvincing special effects: the blood looked decidedly fake and the explosions and gunshots were unconvincing. However, these minor faults did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the play.

‘Inside Job’ is a well-written piece that has been nicely staged and is credibly performed.