Opening night at the Lowry Theatre’s Lyric Theatre welcomed a full house and a palpable buzz of anticipation as the stage adaptation of Peter James’s Picture You Dead took to the stage. Known for his 20 gritty, pacey crime thrillers about Detective Superintendent Roy Grace and the spin off TV series Grace – James has built a devoted following through his Roy Grace novels, and this latest adaptation brought that dark, intriguing world vividly to life. I have been an avid James ‘ … Dead’ book reader for years and was excited to see it on the stage as I am not a lover of the TV series finding it flat and lack lustre.
The plot is of a struggling couple (the Kiplings) buying a painting from a car boot which turns out to be a lost old master from the 18th century. They appear on an episode of ‘Antiques Roadshow’ and the seedy underworld of art dealing criminals and illegal art collecting by any means unravels . An uber wealthy art dealer: Piper and his assistant will do anything to get the original for his private collection including murder. DSI Roy Grace, head Sussex’s serious crime, works the case to solve the case. Usually, the plot of Peter James’ books in this series involves dark and twisted villains and serial killers but this story is more of money and greed and the relentless pursuit of treasures with no boundaries. The cast: a recognisable mix of seasoned stage actors and familiar TV screen faces, handled the material with poise and commitment. Their performances anchored the fast and twisting plot, delivering both the emotional weight and the psychological unease that James’s work demands. The chemistry among the cast was evident, and their timing particularly between the Kiplings was excellent.
On home turf was Corrie star Peter Ash as Hegarty a master forger (sorry copyist) who conspires with the Kiplings and Piper to create copies of the old master to fool others but has a plan of his own. His cheeky chappy, ex con turned artist, was pitched just right for this Salford audience and the LS Lowry forgeries gag was brilliant for this Lowry audience. The character is based on real life master art forger David Henty. Ash as Hegarty got most of the laughs and that was something I wasn’t expecting . The books aren’t funny they are dark and thrilling and have urgency. This stage production managed to insert all the plot and the drama and the pathos but also explored some planted comedic moments in for most of its characters which was mostly fitting. Ben Cutler and Fiona Wade’s characterisations of Freya and Harry Kipling was a little twee in the opening scene but they grew on me and the scene with Freya almost dying from a diabetic coma showed their dimension and depths. The ending scene was a joy with the Kiplings ending the play in tragic-comedy style. George Rainsford brings DSI Grace back to the stage and was sincere, calm and convincing but as a reader of the books I didn’t feel him enough as the play flitted so much in a frenzy to get the story out and it doesn’t lend to a full reveal of Roy’s inner thinking and thought processes. He is a complicated character and this did not come through for me but Rainsford looked and acted how I see Roy; relentless and persuasive and a dog with a bone. Piper (Nicholas Maude) brought a flamboyant, imposing and threatening millionaire art eccentric with a taste for art and murder to life and his demise was expected and dramatic. His side kick Roberta Kilgore (Jodie Steele) looked fantastic, the glamorous femme fatale and hired killer with looks to die for ( literally). I found some of her scenes lacking in real threat; particularly the scene where the hired burglar is tortured. I wanted a more pathological psycho akin to Villanelle in Killing Eve but she didn’t convince me enough of her menace. Supporting roles were played by Gemma Stroyan as Grace’s DS Bella Moy giving strong support and a stoic persona. Adam Morris gave a sterling turn as foppish and egotistical ‘Antiques Roadshow’ presenter Oliver de Souza and a really impressive scene with professional burglar Archie Goff (Mark Oxtoby) sprung from jail by Piper and tasked with stealing the original – fake – fake painting who gave an endearing and believable old con with no hope and no choice who falls into the dark web. His body at the start of Act 2 was brilliant in the iconic egg chair reveal.
One of the evening’s most impressive feats was the ingenious triple‑set staging, mapping the Kiplings’ cosy home stage‑right, Piper’s grand mansion and a Pink Panther lair of treasures( hidden behind a secret wall) front and centre, and then Hegarty’s cluttered artist’s studio stage‑left with easels and drying masterpieces by every painter you can think of. Adrian Linford’s design wove the characters into each space, seamlessly. Jason Taylor’s lighting shaped and sharpened each mood, from the warm domestic glow in the Kipling household to the shadowy candlelit architecture of Piper’s silk walled hidden vault, and the stark, whites of the forger’s studio. Under Jonathan O’Boyle’s direction, these three worlds connected cohesively, allowing scenes to shift with pace enabling both the comedic timing and the suspense to unravel. O’Boyle’s vision for this play is one of a layered theatrical experience built on strong performances and suspense. Some of the suspense was lost for comedy but overall it satisfied by blending the best of James’ crime fiction with an impacting live performance. All plot points were tied up and maybe some of the audience will be at the car boot sales this Easter weekend looking for a Fragonard of their own!
Peter James – Picture You Dead runs all week at the Lowry Theatre in Salford—tickets are available from www.thelowry.com
Reviewer: Kathryn Gorton
Reviewed: 16th April 2025
North West End UK Rating: