Wish You Were Dead Reviews

T Jubb from Nottingham

SAVED IN THE SECOND HALF

I saw this at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham with two friends. We are all fans of Peter James' character Roy Grace and gave Read all of the books. We were really looking forward to seeing Giovanna Fletcher and George Ranisford on stage but we're disappointed by the two lead actors. This was akin to an am dram production with both actors shouting and over acting. The noises from and attention given to "baby" Noah meant the action was very stop start. Only in the second half with the appearance of the excellent Clive Mantle did the drama begun to pick up. Definitely not a great experience, especially as we had paid £40 per ticket.

J Cornforth from Cambridge

GOOD SET

The stage set is well designed and visually pleasing. The storyline engages but acting is variable. Clive Mantle and Katie McGlynn are strong performers, holding the stage with presence and good comic timing. Giovanni Fletcher shouting rather than having a controlled use of voice is distracting.

Reeve from Brighton,

PARODY LIKE

Really disappointed. Shouting from the 2 lead actors was very irritating. The whole thing seemed ridiculously bad I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I expected much more and was relieved once it had finished

Maggie from Brighton,

DISAPPOINTING

I have enjoyed the past theatre plays by Peter James but this one was very disappointing. The first half was a bit boring and the story took ages to get going. Acting wasn’t great either, I felt it was a bit too loud with shouting voices. I was hoping the second half would’ve been better, but the best bit was when it ended…

Sophie from Brighton,

DIDN’T LIVE UP TO EXPECTATIONS - DIFFICULT TO HEAR FROM FRONT OF STALLS!!

Good story line however the first act dragged on and was hard to keep engaged, second act saved it however, a good third of the actors didn’t come on stage until half way through second act. Set design was great and excellent use of the stage. Two lead acts were shouting and really extending their voices but it was still hard to hear. The over extenuating the words ruined the whole play for me. It felt like a mimick / college play rather than a professional tour and made the dialogue sound very sarcastic. I was sat in the fifth row of the stalls and was still having to listen carefully to the words because despite them shouting and overextending their words, it was still difficult to hear. I have no idea how anyone in the circles or gallery could hear. They should have had microphones. A shame as it had the potential to be a fantastic show. Hopefully they can implement some changes for future performances ie using mics

Beth from Brighton,

DISAPPOINTING

We were so looking forward to this. Having read some of James’ books, watched the series and seen last year’s play in Worthing we had high expectations. But, from the very beginning it was disappointing. Actors not able to carry their voice effectively resulting in panto style dialogue and over acting. What should have been a thriller felt more like a comedy with poor timing. George Rainsford’s Grace having plenty of time to crack the baddie over the head with the bottle but instead waiting for the next line to be delivered. While an important addition to the story the baby just served as an annoyance interrupting the action. The French host was the outstanding performance in the first half. Overall this seemed very Am-Dram and I would not recommend.

MT from Glasgow,

DISAPPOINTED

Saw wish you were dead at Theatre Royal in Glasgow last night - front stalls - very disappointed- lead actors shouting their lines - as with previous reviews- very much like an amateur dramatic show- not worth ticket price

M..Marple. from Glasgow,

NOT WORTH THE MONEY

Any chance of a refund? I was wishing I was dead to get me.out of this am dram rip off! Overacted, could have done with a storyline as well and why do most of the cast appear only 10 mins from the end? Seriously poor value for a professional touring production Save your cash for the panto. Its better value than this drivel.

Jean Neilan from Glasgow,

DISAPPOINTING

Only one actor shone in this creaky production. Clive Mantle was believable, sadly the other actors were caricatures. The ridiculously overmelodramatic music at the end of each scene was a failed attempt at lending this inferior production a gravitas it did not merit.

EP from Richmond, England

DISAPPOINTING

Wish we had read the reviews before booking. We weren’t sure if it was being played as a farce or thriller. We liked Giovanna but agree she needs some more training with her voice projection. Clive Mantle came across a bit like grandad in Only Fools and Horses…. At least we had a large G&T at the interval

Michael Winter from Brighton,

REALLY POOR

well, i’ve not seen/heard two such shouty lead actors. If the actors can’t project their voices without shouting then don’t cast the,. £85 for two tickets for a play equivalent to a 6th form production is taking the proverbial. come on , get a grip

Jenny from Brighton,

WISH YOU WERE DEAD BRIGHTON

Extremely disappointed as this was not the experience we expected at all.Giovanna Fletcher came across as very amateur and shouted her way through the play. The sound level was terrible. We were in Stalls row M. Clive Mantle also overacted . My husband has read all of the Grace series and feels there wasn't enough content in the storyline to support a theatre production. Something was very wrong with this production which is particularly disappointing as we've seen all the other Grace productions and thoroughly enjoyed them.

John Withers from Weymouth

WISH YOU WERE DEAD

I have seen all the Grace series productions to date,and found them extremely good, I am afraid I cannot say the same about this one. The lead actors shouted their way through this performance, I do not know why? I have never experienced this at this theatre so have to put it down to poor acting. I feel there was not enough content in the story line for this production. From my point of view I have to ask why Clive Mantle and his cohort found the need to march around the stage pointing their firearm in peoples faces , it was ridiculous, sorry!

Zari from Brighton,

I DID WISH I WAS DEAD.

My partner and I came to watch this production. I truly wished that we sat outside, the noise that the two main actors made would have been heard outside. The story line was weak and so predictable. What an utter waste of money. Ps. Asking for donations for the police was an insult, asking them to do their job would have been better! Awful show, waste of money.

LisaT from Brighton,

EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED

Totally baffled as to how/why the two main characters were played by such weak actors. All they did was shout their way through their lines. Not impressed and will definitely check the cast before buying tickets next time. Gave the One star for the theatre!

NOAH DIDNAE from Glasgow,

I WISHED I WAS DEAD

AWFUL. PUTS ME OFF GOING TO THE THEATRE.

Elaine from Glasgow,

EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING

Was looking forward to this as we love the books and TV series. Very disappointed. The 2 main characters shouted their way through the performance. Not sure if it was meant to be a comedy or thriller. Weak storyline, badly acted. Would not recommend

Mabel from Glasgow,

VERY POOR

If it was amateur dramatic club they’d almost be forgiven. It was torturous to watch. Shouty actors, screaming baby, plot crazy (still don’t know why jack was stuck up in an attic throughout the play - what was the b**** point). Second act dragged right out. Was just hoping all the characters would get shot by end of it. Every one of us came away very disappointed. Not just actors to blame - playwrights and director are just as bad.

Pauline from Coventry

REALLY DISAPPOINTING

I was really looking forward to this play since it was booked at Christmas. My husband and I left the show at the interval, after very drab acting by the cast and poor story line in first half. It didn't seem like Peter James had even written the story. The actors should have had microphones then they wouldn't have needed to shout. So very disappointed.

Alison King from Birmingham,

POOR

Have just seen Wish You Were Dead in Birmingham. It was very disappointing ! The actors shouted too much. The second half was worse, (the acting especially in the second half was poor, the story was dull. I felt sorry for the actors, but I think most people were glad when it ended.

Mike from London, England

POOR

Saw this play tonight in Worthing. It was poor throughout. Odd and bizarre story line, paper thin plot. Predictable throughout. Almost like something you would see in a village Hall. The detectives wife could not project her voice. Play only, partly, saved by the wonderful Clive Mantle. I'm bemused why an actor of his calibre was involved in this.

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