What with cast members in their undies, an unorthodox mix of gore-y horror and Carry-On slapstick, and random acts of murder, the good Lord may have wished to avert his heavenly eyes from the on-stage shenanigans arising in the innocent church hall of St Hilda’s.
The Dice House, by Paul Lucas, is a very black comedy in which under the conceit of research, psychiatrist Dr Ratner, pursues ‘Dice Therapy’ – where every decision, from the clothes you eat to the people you choose to be intimate with, is based on the roll of the dice. When a rival psychiatrist, Dr Drabble, attempts to infiltrate the centre to rescue (or kidnap, depending on your point of view) his wife, with the aid of the slightly witless Matthew, all hell quickly breaks loose.
What is an intriguing premise, inviting all sorts of questions around ethics and free will, is buried under a mountain of farce and absurdity, in which belief needs not so much suspending as catapulting out of the window that one of the house residents is busy stealing.
There is a darkly funny script and, under the co-direction of Zoe Marras and Zoran Blackie, the cast do a commendable, and frankly, very brave, job in unleashing it upon the unsuspecting audience.
It’s difficult to call out specifics without revealing some fairly major spoilers. Andrew Parsons and Carl Latham are equally good as the two warring quacks, both of whom you quickly realise should themselves be in padded rooms rather than practicing any form of mental health treatment.
Cat Fox-Kirk and Shaun Greatbanks bring moments of hilarity in their respective roles as Drabble’s allegedly brainwashed wife Polly and fellow patient Mr Smith who is convinced that everyone is out to get him, with increasingly violent consequences. And able support comes from Ife Babatunde (Lisa), Jenny Snell (the Slow Assassin) and Amy Jenkins (Victoria).
It is Connor Jones as Drabble’s unwilling accomplice Matthew who stands out, wishing nothing more than to return to his hut by the sea, but putting himself through some ridiculous tribulations to avoid being sectioned by the increasingly nefarious Drabble, delivering some of the wildest, laugh out loud moments of the story.
The play is pretty scrappy in delivery, with moments where manic delivery gives way to fluffed, or momentarily forgotten, lines and this can make the pace a bit uneven in places.
But nice touches such as having the backstage crew as part of the action adds to a sense of playful chaos. And you have to commend everyone for being willing to deliver the sequences asked of the actors within this play, from Doctor Ratner’s increasingly wild array of costumes, through to an outrageous sequence with a hair trimmer.
Overall, a well-executed performance of an absolutely bonkers play that may not deliver the kind of whip-smart satire of, say, a Joe Orton play, but still leaves the audience chortling (and potentially checking over their shoulder for cutlery-wielding assassins) as they head home.
The Dice House runs until Saturday 26th April. For tickets visit https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/liverpool/st-hildas-church-hall/the-dice-house/e-lkakka
Reviewer: Lou Steggals
Reviewed: 24th April 2025
North West End UK Rating: