Picture You Dead
Masterfleece
Picture You Dead
by Peter James
Josh Andrews Productions at the Richmond Theatre until 22nd March, then on tour until 26th July
Review by Gill Martin
White knuckles, gripping edge of your seats, gun shots and shocks, torture and murders most grisly: if this is your recipe for a great night out at the theatre look no further than Picture You Dead, now playing at Richmond Theatre as part of its UK tour, directed By Jonathan O’Boyle
For those less addicted to the crime thriller genre of Peter James’ police hero Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, this production still offers an entertaining evening of drama with a mix of humour and clever convoluted plot and characterisation.
Back home in Brighton DSI Grace, well known to ITV fans of the drama series Grace, investigates a cold case that leads him to the fabulously wealthy world of fine art. Beneath the respectability lurks a darkly secretive underworld of deception and deadly duplicity.
When one unsuspecting young couple unearth a potentially priceless masterpiece, they discover that their dream find is about to turn into a nightmare. Only Grace can stop them from paying the ultimate price.
Peter James is lauded as one of the best British crime writers (Queen Camilla is rumoured to favour his fictional detective Roy Grace) with his novels selling over 23 million copies in 38 countries, winning him more than 40 awards. Picture You Dead is his 17th novel to be adapted for the stage, earning his work the reputation for the most successful stage franchises since Agatha Christie.
So here’s the deal. A long-lost masterpiece sparks deadly violence… and sets Detective Superintendent Grace (George Rainsford) on the darkly twisting path of a calculating killer. Bearded builder Harry Kipling (Ben Cutler) and wannabe jeweller wife Freya (Fiona Wade) are just an ordinary strapped-for-cash couple, who have dreamed for years of finding something priceless buried among the tat of a car boot sale. Haven’t we all dreamt of buying a gem that will change our lives?
It was a dream they knew in their hearts would never come true – until the day it did…with dire consequences. Bullets and blood, torture and murder shatter their tranquil Sussex lives.
The Kiplings (no relation to Rudyard or the exceedingly good cake makers) buy a drab portrait for twenty pounds, planning to cut out the artwork from its beautiful frame. Then, studying it back at home, they discover what seems to be another picture beneath, of a stunning landscape. Could it be a long-lost masterpiece from 1770? If genuine, it could be worth millions.
Sunday night viewers of the Antiques Road Show are familiar with that scenario. Detective Superintendent Roy Grace finds himself plunged into the unfamiliar and rarefied world of fine art. Outwardly it appears genuine and gentlemanly, above reproach. But beneath the veneer, he rapidly finds that greed, deception and violence walk hand in dodgy hand. With spending on art and antiques running at an estimated £51 billion it’s no surprise forgeries and fakery are on the rise.
And Harry and Freya are about to discover that their dream of selling their French masterpiece has put their lives at risk.
This evil world is populated by career burglar Archie Goff, gruff and ready for thieving action (Mark Oxtoby) at the lower end; and the suave art collector Stuart Piper (Nicholas Maude) at the sophisticated top end. Silver goatee beard, plaited pigtail and designer suit versus balding, scruffy hoodie and jeans, but who will outwit their fiendish fixer Roberta Kilgore (Jodie Steele), glam blonde in sequins and black leather?
Peter Ash as art forger (or art copyist as he calls himself) Dave Hegarty and Adam Morris as Antiques Road Show expert Oliver De Souza both produce strong performances, alongside Gemma Stroyon as Grace’s capable sidekick Bella Moy, while the set and its slick changes work well thanks to designers Adrian Linford and Jason Taylor.
Gill Martin, March 2025
Photography by Alistair Muir
Mark Aspen 