Review: Looking Good Dead at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

No.1 best-selling author Peter James returns to Cheltenham this week with the world premiere stage production of Looking Good Dead. Based on the thrilling Roy Grace crime series that have sold over 21 million copies worldwide. This twisty adaptation is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat to the very end.  

After finding a discarded USB memory stick on the train home from work, Tom Bryce’s (Adam Woodyatt) well-intentioned efforts to find the owner and return their property descends into chaos as he and his son witness a horrific murder being streamed online. 

 

Things quickly spiral as the vile world of snuff films and pay-per-view murder spills over into the Bryce’s already unsettled home life, putting the entire family at risk. Cue the arrival of Roy Grace (Harry Long) who must race against time to find out the shocking truth behind the murders and stop the killers before they can create their next home film. 

If this all sounds a bit intense for some viewers then don’t worry, the script is laced with humour throughout and enough self-aware corniness to lighten the otherwise sinister plot. From the cheesy one-liners of Roy Grace’s joke-cracking partner Leon (Glenn Branson) to the back-and-forth familial squabbles of the Bryce family.  

 

Award-winning actor and EastEnders icon, Adam Woodyatt, and star of stage and screen Laurie Brett (Waterloo Road, Les Misérables) bounce off one another effortlessly as Tom and Kelly Bryce, drawing us into the peaks and troughs of their troubled marriage. 

 

Meanwhile, the menacing villains behind the cameras are played with plenty of gusto as they carry out their increasingly horrific acts. 

 

The sleekly designed, multi-layered set, is effectively coupled with clever lighting trickery to allow for seamless transitions between scenes meaning we never stray far from the action at hand. This keeps the plot moving at an energetic pace. While the ever-present, atmospheric soundtrack keeps the tension bubbling along nicely. 

 

As Looking Good Dead draws us in for its final moments, the shocking revelations, questions, and surprises are sure to keep audiences guessing to the very end. A great night out for crime fiction fans and whodunit aficionados alike. 

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Looking Good Dead is taking place at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham until this Saturday, 30th April, with two performances Thursday and Saturday. Tickets are available via the Everyman Theatre box office. 

For more events and live shows in Cheltenham check out our helpful guides – Live Performances in Cheltenham and The Festivals and Major Events Guide.