Ipswich New Wolsey Theatre. October 23 2025
I haven’t read Don’t Look Now (Daphne Du Maurier) or seen the Nicolas Roeg film adaptation for a long time, but both have stayed in my imagination for nearly three decades.
I was delighted when I saw that the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich were putting on a production, and I’m glad to say it did not disappoint.
An excellent cast put in a full-bloodied performance, complemented by some brilliant direction, set design, music and general stagecraft.
The play is faithful to the book rather than the film. It starts out in a haunting, melancholic way with the introduction of little Christine, the daughter of the story’s main protagonists John and Laura. Christine dies of meningitis which then sets in motion the story of the couple’s efforts to come to terms with their grief — or not — by taking a holiday in Venice.
The events take place in the 1970s, but the setting of Venice, as in the book, is steeped in the gothic horror traditions of the 18th and 19th century. It’s dark, foreboding, spooky, and we soon learn that a killer is on the loose and murdering British tourists.
I won’t say any more about the story because I wouldn’t want to spoil it. I’ll only write about the effect it had on me, which was that I got goosebumps several times during the play thanks to the relentless feeling of dread that escalates throughout, the visceral performances of the actors and several jump scares.
There’s no interval — once it starts you’re on the rollercoaster; and when it’s finished there is a sense of relief. I will add there’s some nice dark humour in there which helps balance out the tension.
In summary, it was an excellent staging of what I would have thought is a difficult story to interpret for the stage. An extra bonus was a question and answer session with the cast and the play’s artistic director afterwards. Everyone was charming and very open to questions and audience feedback.
A great night at the theatre.