ACT Reviews 2022-2023 Season

the brilliant use of acting and reacting by both Steven and Will in the interview scene – both actors stood at the front of the stage being given a full opportunity to demonstrate their acting abilities, with perfect facial expressions and body language throughout and brilliant pacing. This scene was, for me the second highlight of the production and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing these two very talented actors really showing us what they could do. Harry’s other patrons, played by Nicholas Ainsworth and Trevor Robins, had less opportunity to showcase but were fully believable as amiable inebriate Bill and the slightly dodgy and ineffective (drinking on duty) Inspector Fry.

We were next introduced to Harry’s wife, Alice, and daughter, Shirley, played by Anita Shaw and Jennifer Whiteside respectively. Jennifer gave us some lovely moments as teenager Shirley, demonstrating shyness veering to coyness, frustration, and sadness. Shirley and Anita had some moving moments

together where, as an audience, you could really start to understand how Shirley’s confusion and low self-esteem that led to her being vulnerable to “menacing/ creepy” Mooney (played by Paddy Darnell-Walsh) developed – particularly the scene where Anita told Shirley she was not attractive on the inside or the outside, where the whole audience’s heart went out to her. Paddy played Mooney almost as a caricature, and clearly relished the opportunity to make the character as OTT as possible with exaggerated expressions and many a nod to the audience. Paddy certainly kept us guessing as to the true nature of Mooney – was he the real Lowestoft murderer or did he merely want Harry (and us as the audience) to think so and if so, why? Mooney’s scene with Shirley (“Do you sit on