Last night at Venue Cymru in Llandudno we were whisked away to a time in history with steam trains, those wonderful British accents of yesteryear and of Nazi’s as The Lady Vanishes took to the boards.
Movie fans will know the story from the classic Alfred Hitchcock film from 1938 that starred the amazing Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave and Paul Lukas.
This new and never-seen-before stage play of the classic movie is presented by Bill Kenwright and is the latest in Classic Thriller Theatre Company of stage plays, the lovely Lorna Fitzgerald plays the part of socialite, Iris, who’s travelling companion Miss Froy, who is wonderfully played by Juliet Mills, disappears while on the train journey to the Swiss border, with the passengers all deny all knowledge of her and the mystery begins as Lorna wonders is she going crazy or is there something else more mysterious and sinister going on.
The Lady Vanishes has a stalwart of cast to bring the 1938 movie to the stage, Lorna Fitzgerald, after her shock departure from the role of Abi Branning in BBC’s EastEnders, Matt Barber, Atticus Aldridge in Downtown Abbey, Robert Duncan, Drop The Dead Donkey, Philip Lowrie, Dennis Tanner in Coronation Street, Ben Nealon, Maxwell Caulfield, Emmerdale & The Colbys and let’s not forget the wonderful Juliet Mills, ITV’s Wild at Heart.
The Lady Vanishes – A Sheer Delight on the Venue Cymru Stage
When I first found out that there was a production of The Lady Vanishes coming to Venue Cymru, I have to say I was very excited, the original film is one of my many favourite black & white films and one of the Hitchcock films that are in my all time favourites of his, so to see the show in stage format is something that got me intrigued about how it would be produced.
The key thing to The Lady Vanishes is the train journey, but I’ll come back to that, first I have to say that the opening of the evening’s performance really sets you on your journey, the set design is stunning, we get the train station with all its grandeur with the real feeling of the depth as the backdrop stretches out in to the distance to give us the feeling of the huge station where all the passengers meet for the first time, the use of the smoke machines certainly brings the age of steam trains back to life and into the theatre.
One the introductions of the cast’s characters have been established, it’s time to take to the train, the stage lights dim and the carriages slide in to place seamlessly, now it’s time for us to join the cast as they travel their long journey of mystery and intrigue along the tracks to the Swiss border.
The Lady Vanishes is a refreshing change from the musicals that I’ve been seeing of late and for me, personally, it’s been wonderful to see such a classic film brought to the stage with such style and very well produced acting, stage production and so much more.
Not all films translate to stage as well as this, but with any mystery story, the intrigue keeps you on the edge of your seat as you follow what happened to Miss Froy, is Iris confused after the bump on her head, or is there so much more to Miss Froy than you may first of thought!
Anthony Lampard has adapted The Lady Vanishes to the stage very well, it’s not very often that you feel like you are actually part of the play and this production certainly makes you feel like you are at the station or indeed on the train. Director Roy Marsden has brought Hitchcock’s film to life on the stage and for that, I thank him very much for a superb production.
The Lady Vanishes – The Perfect Cast
Now I know I haven’t mentioned the cast that much, only briefly above, but all I can say is they all put in superb performances, Lorna Fitzgerald shines as Iris, very different from her role in EastEnders, Juliet Mills is wonderful as Miss Froy, so lovely to see her on the stage at Llandudno. Again all the cast all put on a stellar play throughout the evening, I am very, very, surprised that they didn’t get a standing ovation for the evening, they should have and it would have been well deserved.
If you love the world of mystery, classic movies and something different to see, then The Lady Vanishes is certainly a play that you will want to see. The show is on at Venue Cymru in Llandudno until the 15th June 2019, tickets available from the Box Office 01492 872000 or on the website at venuecymru.co.uk. Have you seen our interview with Lorna Fitzgerald?
The Classic Hitchcock Movie Heads to the Stage
Summary
The Lady Vanishes is a sheer delight to watch, great acting, stage design and overall production make this adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s film a stage production not to be missed.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
