A couple of months back I went along to The Secret Act of Murder at Smock Alley. Back then it was a work in progress and now it’s grown and also shrunk itself into a piece of theatre to be reckoned with … or at least attended anyway.
Last time ’round the play gave a lot of information on the events leading up the Marlowe’s death, so much so that it perhaps got a bit too bogged down in the finer details. This time, a shorter version of they play seems to have found its feet a bit more and the audience are brought on a more lively journey with Marlowe through the events leading to his curious death.
Post-modern self consciousness interrupts the play at intervals to allow the cast and crew wonder if they’re really doing the story justice – have they really found the truth?
Five Gallants have worked through a crazy amount of research and a complicated series of events dating all the way back to the late 1500s. At first it seemed they’d become consumed by the sheer volume of information they’d compiled but with this latest production, the company have gained ground and are currently staging a piece of theatre that combines great performances with music, verse and movement to tell the tale of a man wronged and betrayed for questioning the given truth.
Well worth a visit, especially if you’re like me and went last time ’round – you’ll be amazed by how much the production has changed.
How you can go:
Plays as part of the Fringe Festival at Smock Alley Theatre nightly until September 21 at 9.15pm. Grab some tickets here.
Quality Waffle 