Amy Taylor feels more than a little disappointed by Ian Rankin’s long-awaited playwriting debut.
It’s the stuff of dreams: one of Scotland’s greatest crime writers, Ian Rankin, working with one of Scotland’s most influential theatres, the Royal Lyceum Theatre, for his first play. But Dark Road, a co-production with Wales Millennium Centre and written by Rankin and Lyceum Artistic Director Mark Thomson, is not what theatrical dreams are made of.
Preoccupied with thoughts of retirement and haunted by the case that made her career, Scotland’s first female police chief, Superintendant Isobel McArthur (Maureen Beattie) struggles with feelings of guilt and doubt. But as she makes contact with the serial killer Alfred, (Philip Whitchurch) who she helped put away, her life, her relationships with her daughter, Alexandra (Sara Vickers), and former lover, Frank (Robert Gwilym), start to unravel; did she make a terrible mistake 30 years ago?
The frustrating thing about Dark Road is that it sounds so damn good on paper: the award-winning talents of Rankin, Thompson and Beattie combined with the popular trope of the detective haunted by a former case should create a thrilling piece. But something just doesn’t add up with this production. The premise of obsession, ambition and a haunting of sorts is a wise choice; it’s a timeless narrative, so where then does Dark Road, after such a promising premise, fall flat?
Like the elusive and treacherous road alluded to in the play’s title, Dark Road is littered with hazards and distracting plot points. From small details, such as the parentage of Alexandra, to the long-dead affair between Isabel and Frank, to the awkward and unrealistic dialogue between mother and daughter, all combine to create a plot that is predictable, overly long and disappointing. While chilling in places, Thomson and Rankin rely too much on “cattle prod horror” as brief moments of shock, designed to be quick scares, take the place of real psychological horror.
This is a play about obsession, about not being able to let go of the past, about secrets, lies, manipulation and betrayal. However, its dialogue is unrealistic, the structure unsuitable and its story has twists and turns but never satisfies. While the cast is strong and attempt to do justice to an awkward script, there are laughable moments throughout the piece—moments that aren’t written to be funny.
A rare miss by the Lyceum, Dark Road is a frustrating start to their Autumn/Winter season as it has the potential to be a great piece of theatre, but it is let down by bizarre dialogue and obvious plot twists.
At the Royal Lyceum until October 19
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