Peter James’s Picture You Dead, never seen on stage or screen before, has debuted at the wonderful seaside setting of the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton, welcoming Ore Oduba to the role of Machiavellian art collector Stuart Piper.
This was my second visit to the Floral Pavilion, having previously ventured to see An Audience with Joan Collins in 2023, and it really is a stand-out venue, most notably for its friendly staff and panoramic theatre café’s sunset views across New Brighton's seascape.
The play told the story of what happens when a couple spend £20 on a picture frame with an ugly painting at a car boot sale and end up embroiled in the murky depths of art world criminality. It is rooted in the bestselling author Peter James’s real-life meeting with David Henty, a former art forger who went legit to become an art copyist.
This was an exceptional production that struck the perfect tone for a Tuesday night at the theatre. The staging was cleverly integrated and detailed, with beautiful recreations of well-known artworks taking up one portion of the artist’s studio – some painted by the incredibly talented David Henty himself. Hidden construction added depth to reveal the golden-framed candle-lit corridors of textbook villain Stuart Piper. We also saw the realistic IKEA-style home of the naïve couple trying their best to make ends meet.
The show paints a picture of calamity as events unfold, with each room transitioning at breakneck speed with the perfect pace for both character development and plot twists and turns – leaving no time to guess what might happen next.
Every cast member gave a great performance. Soap fans will recognise former Emmerdale star Fiona Wade who was a delight as one half of the unsuspecting couple who get embroiled in the murky world of art fraud, and ex-Casualty star George Rainsford was immensely likeable as DSI Roy Grace, grounding the production for fans of Peter James' detective. Despite having such a range of characters and motivations, everyone does their part to drive this relentless plot, keeping the audience engaged and invested every step.
Extra special mention must go to Ore Oduba and Jodie Steele who ‘steal’ the show. It is former Strictly Come Dancing champion Oduba's first outing in a ‘straight' role on stage as opposed to musical theatre – he's proved he has great acting chops as well as dance moves. Ore’s first meeting with the police was chillingly convincing as a supreme criminal mastermind, revealing why he has remained out of police grasp for some time. And Jodie’s remarkable portrayal of a chic freelance art consultant/assassin gave an edgy ‘Black Dove’ style contrast (even inspiring me to get on top of my freelance invoicing, albeit through legitimate means, Gov).
A heroic example of a full-scale regional tour that brings a chance for fans of crime fiction as well as the local community together to get immersed in live theatre with a polished and witty production.
Picture You Dead runs at the Floral Pavilion, Wirral, until Saturday 24 May and the UK tour continues until 26 July, for tickets see https://www.peterjames.com/plays/picture-you-dead/
