Charlie Peace @ Nottingham Playhouse Review

Charles Peace was a notorious 19^th Century criminal from Sheffield, famous for his burglaries and ability to avoid the police due to constantly changing his appearance and identity. The show was a bit of a surprise as it is rather pantomime in style, not something you would expect in a story filled with murder, adultery and other criminal activity. The audience participation and scenes that took place in the crowd only emphasised this.

 There was also a musical type element in the production and coupled with the theme, it gave it an almost Sweeney Todd feel. This Sweeney Todd feel was multiplied in the second half as it became less pantomime-ish and much darker as character relationships break down and Peace comes closer to capture.

The projections were brilliant and allowed numerous set changes without actually changing the set.

The production starred an all-star cast including Blue Peter old timer Peter Duncan who played the devious Charlie Pace and one half of comedy duo Hale and Pace, Norman Pace who played the showman.

Pace was brilliant as the showman and narrator as he both entertained and amazed the audience throughout with humbly done magic tricks and stories of Charlie Peace.

Star of the show however was Peter Duncan as the many faced villain Peace who excelled in everything he did, whether it was clambering up ropes and ladders to break into houses, playing the innocent reformed criminal or singing, which he was surprisingly good at.

The rest of the cast also deserve and honourable mention, especially the disastrous police duo and Bridie Higson who recently starred in Of Mice and Men, as both Katherine and Susan.

The play is a brilliant way to learn about this lesser heard of Midlands’s bandit and is a story that will leave in you in awe and shock at some of the parts, which are all in fact true. It has something for all the family to enjoy, from the pantomime feel of the show for the kids to the dark story for the adults.

Charlie Peace is on at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday the 19^th October with tickets starting at £7.50. There is also a special exhibition at the Galleries of Justice about this devious outlaw which runs until November 3^rd.