J.B. Priestley’s Dangerous Corner has all of the elements a good play requires, including drama, tragedy and suspense. Yet it also has pathos, comedy and an element of the supernatural.
The scene is set in a house in Church Row, Hampstead in November 1963 – two days after Kennedy’s assassination. A snug affluent group of publishers are relaxing after dinner – but all is not as it seems. Young Martin Caplan was shot through the head a year ago – verdict: suicide. And now something disturbs the ether. The radio has stopped working, and when the late Martin’s musical cigarette box is opened and plays “Liebestraum”, a terrifying evening of revelation follows, watched by the unseen ghost of Martin.
Why does the group seem compelled to tell the truth? Is it coincidence? How does a cigarette box turn an innocent game into a nightmare? Our small group is cut off from the world as Martin’s brother Robert relentlessly plays the role of inspector. Like a car with no brakes, he goes round every bend until he discovers everything. Can anyone stop him? Or will time reveal a truth of its own?
Director Simon May describes Dangerous Corner as a play that has “poignant moral and metaphysical dilemmas – with some historical political irony thrown into the mix. And it’s got time travel.” In his version of Dangerous Corner for The Hampstead Players, May has chosen a style similar to a dramatised reading, combining scripted and non-scripted scenes to reflect the characters’ shock and confusion regarding the revelations surrounding Martin’s death.
As comedy and mystery collide, the beautiful backdrop of The Hampstead Parish Church serves only to heighten the atmosphere of the performances.
Friday 5th February – 7.30pm
Saturday 6th February – 6pm
Tickets £8 (£6 concessions)
