Night Out At: The Thrill of Love
The Thrill of Love chronicles the events of Ruth Ellis that led to her fate as the UK’s last woman to be hanged in 1955.
Twisted Nerve Theatre, with the direction of Elaine Louise Stewart, provided the audience with a thrilling night of a happier sort with Studio 3 decorated as a 1950s cabaret bar, the round tables creating an intimate atmosphere, cosy lights on the walls and nostalgic advertisements and black and white photos of Ruth and her associates in the 1950s. This paints a picture of seemingly endless glory days at odds with the murky reality behind the scenes of such showbiz establishments. For an extra touch, Sylvia Shaw was at the entrance welcoming in the guests before the play commenced.
The play uses flashback, transporting the audience from the dramatic climax of gunfire at the hands of Ruth after we voyeuristically watch her getting dressed and doing her makeup, ostensibly for a memorable night out.
Detective Gale (John O’Gorman) is our narrator who accompanies us through the last few years of glamorous Ruth’s life, working in a gentleman’s club as a hostess where she meets David Blakely, a man with whom she begins a tumultuous relationship. We also meet her female confidantes including her boss, Sylvia (Frances Broudie-Oldridge) and colleague, Doris Judd (Sarah Jones). These two women are her constant support system through the ups and downs of her love life with the men we never actually get to see. We also meet the ambitious Vickie Martin (Madeleine Lloyd-Jones) who follows her own thrill of love, resulting in her own demise, although of a very different nature.
The play touches on the tragedy of obsessive love, toxic jealousies, domestic abuse, the desire for love and success, the concept of guilt, law and order, mental health and diminished responsibility. We also get a sense of the predominant male chauvinism of the era in that, while it’s the women running the show, men still dictate, with “Morrie” alluded to by Sylvia – he’s the invisible authority who calls the shots.
Detective Gale is always in view, reading case notes trying to solve the complex riddle of the eloquent convict, (convincingly portrayed by Christine Corser and her clipped RP accent), who is stoic after confessing her guilt and even preserves her equanimity when death is imminent. It’s as though it’s the first time she has control over the epic rollercoaster that is her life to date. Are the events that led up to the fatal shooting reality or the imaginings of the detective as he replays spectral pictures while he ponders the case notes? Not knowing anything about the case, I’m open to either interpretation.
When the time of reckoning approaches, a moving dance sequence between Ruth and Detective Gale brings them to the denouement of the story. When Ruth takes her last breath on earth, she simply walks out the room, dignified and undefeated.
The play was well acted by a competent cast, the characterisation convincing and unique, with various RP and southern accents. Broudie-Oldridge’s no-nonsense club manageress was a refreshing burst of light in the darkness of the play.
The scenes were punctuated with whimsical clips of Billie Holiday tracks overlaid with the familiar and treacherously comforting crackle of a gramophone. Billie seems to be echoing the inner world of our protagonist with song titles such as Guilty, Stormy Weather and Love for Sale.
The lighting was apt, kept low, creating a sensation of night time and all that is hidden from every day view. The immersive environment was novel and intriguing, enveloping us in the protagonist’s nocturnal world.
A minor reservation: Amanda Whittington’s script was verbose and dialogue-heavy with conversations densely packed with facts that were hard to decipher at times. This meant it was easy to get lost momentarily and for the play to lose energy and pace.
However, it was interesting to see a thought-provoking historical play with lots of style and elegance – let’s see what Twisted Nerve come back with next.
Covered by, Kirsten Hawkins