Dark Lucy


The Courier and Advertiser - March 2002

BEGUILING MYSTERY OF DARK LUCY
Review by Sandy Smith

PART MYSTERY and part psychological thriller Dark Lucy is Dundee Dramatic Society's latest production writes Sandy Smith.

The play is set in a small village whose inhabitants appear to be slow to realise that the elderly recluse in their midst is very strange indeed.

It is the neurotic and highly-strung wife of the vicar who brings matters to a grim and frightening climax. Tricia Stewart is most convincing as the unstable ex-actress trying to cope with village life and her dry stick of a husband played by Kenneth Donaldson.

As the local doctor Jonathan Gall offers rational explanations for her strange behaviour. The arrival of a distressed parishoner adds a tale of witchcraft to the plot and here Dorothy Culloch brings a touch of humour to her role.

Keith Spottiswoode and Alma Donald skillfully bring the play to it's macabre and surprising conclusion in the final scene in Dark Lucy's cottage.

The cast is completed by Betty Milne as the reliable down-to-earth charlady. Dark Lucy is directed by Lynn Smith and runs all this week at the Little Theatre.



The Evening Telegraph - March 2002

AN AIR OF MYSERY AND INTRIGUE AT THE VICARAGE
Review by Jan Souter

An air of mystery and intrigue hangs over a Suzzex village vicarage as the curtain rises on Dundee Dramatic Society's first play of the year, writes Jan Souter.

Neurotic viacar's wife and former actress Carol Cleveland (played convincingly by Tricia Stewart), a newcomer to the village, appears on the verge of a nervous breakdown following a 'close encounter' with a dark stranger in the garden of a run-down cottage.

Fearing for his wife's sanity, the distraught vicar (a debut performance by Kenneth Donaldson), confides in housekeeper Grace Roberts (ably played by Betty Milne), who recalls the cottage in question, from her childhood, being occupied recluse... but Grace herself is now 65!

Local doctor Thomas Vann (Jonathan Gall) ponders plausible reasons for Carol's behaviour while another "professional patient", Mrs Wilson (Dorothy Culloch), reveals her teenage daughter has gone missing... but why is she so reluctant to contact the police?

Enter the dasing Edward Hastings (Keith Spottiswoode) and Lucy Manning (Alma Donald) in a riveting final scene which ultimately ends the suspence. The Thriller, which is peppered with humour throughout, is directed by Lynn Smith.

Adding to the enjoyment of a visit to this theatre is the welcoming ambience of the refurbished auditorium, with comfortable seats and ample leg space, in which it is a pleasure to sit back and relax.

Dark Lucy shows nightly this week with a matinee on Saturday. Some tickets are available by contacting the City Centre Box Office on 01382 434941.

© D C Thomson & Co., Ltd 2002

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