It is 20 December 1933, and three strangers are impelled to take an overnight train from London’s Paddington to Cornwall.
They are from different backgrounds, a medical doctor, Gordon Henderson, a dock worker and family man, James Macdonald, and an aristocrat, Lady Penelope Cunningham, but they share the same mission. If they reach Montague Manor in Penzance for the reading of a will to take place at 8AM the following morning, they stand to inherit, and they each have a need to do so.
Circumstances have forced the three together, but an injunction in the cryptic letter of instruction warns them to trust no one and tell no one of their task.
And thus begins a delightful Jules Verne-esque caper as the motley three battle a variety of adversities to reach their destination on time, meeting a variety of eccentric characters along the way.
Lighting (Laurel Marks) and sound (Matt Karmios and El Theodorou) enhance a set design (Karl Swinyard and Kate Bannister) of doors and a platform that whirl around at the hands of the cast creating ever more spaces to house this crafted piece of storytelling.
Adam Elliott, Tice Oakfield and Julia Pagett each make a welcome return to the Jack as Gordon, James and Lady Penelope and the assorted oddballs they encounter, harnessing a wide range of accents between them.
At 85 minutes, Luke Adamson’s script is a neatly constructed, gently comic thriller which blossoms into a visual romp of an adventure, with director Kate Bannister having the cast in tight discipline niftily dip in and out of scenes with briskly efficient costume changes (designed by Martin J Robinson). Seeing the workings and anticipating the reappearances has the pleasure of being in on an inside joke, which brings its own charm.
The cast work incredibly hard to make it look effortless, and so engaging have the trio been, the conclusion is heartwarming such that it verges on combustible. This is a show that will make glow that flickering flame of hope in human nature and will have you smiling broadly as you leave the theatre.
Reviewer: Sandra Giorgetti