Marketing a show as a thriller often raises hopes that are not met. That is not the case with I Did Something I Shouldn’t Have… from PJGProductions at theSpace on the Mile.
A gripping thriller that will leave you shaking for some time.
Paul-James Green has written a high-stakes drama that starts with a chilling conversation between Will (Richard Michell) and his voice-over counsellor/therapist. He’s shaking, tearful and frightened as he is haunted by the abuse he suffered as an eight-year-old boy. The image of him as an emotional wreck lingers, but the mood is lightened as the next scene opens in his home and the everyday banter between his older sibling, Harrison (PJ Green), who fulfils the role of a carer, and his younger brother, the 16-year-old Sean (Orlando Campolucci-Bordi). Their mother is dead but their estranged father soon becomes the main focus of the story.
There is an air of teenage normality for a while. Sean spends time with his school chum Max (Joseph Bigley) and is assisted by Harrison in sorting out the family tree homework exercise. However, the straightforward task soon turns sour. The situation escalates with the entrance of Will and the mood darkens. Tensions rise when Sean decides he wants to know about his father. But there is a reason he’s never been told about him, and there are secrets known to Harrison and Will they would rather Sean knew nothing about. But Sean is determined to find his father, Vince (Gary Simpson), and get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding him.
Thereafter, the roller coaster commences. The tension rises and suspense sets in. I cannot recall ever feeling threatened by a character on stage or filled with an urge to escape from a situation, but Simpson plays the dangerous brute of a father terrifyingly. His presence places everyone on edge and fearful for their safety. We begin to wonder what might happen next as more of his criminality and his psychologically disturbed condition is exposed. Everyone in the family is differently involved in the situation, and each cast member has a unique response, enhancing his success in portraying a credible individual.
There are further twists and turns in the story as events speed up along with our heartbeats and the plot of this edge-of-the-seat hair raiser becomes more intricate. We await the denouement with bated breath, and the resolution comes with a huge sigh of relief.
This Fringe version of I Did Something I Shouldn’t Have… is edited from the original two-hour drama and probably still needs some attention in places, but it's a gripping thriller that will leave you shaking for some time.
