The Business of Murder
By Richard Harris
Theatre Royal Nottingham
–
Finding contenders each year for the Colin McIntyre Classic Thriller Season must be difficult: the plays must involve suspense or comedy, keep audiences on the edge of their seats and be worthy of the phrase ‘classic thriller’.
The 2025 season had laughs in abundance in Peter Gordon’s Death by Fatal Murder as well as intrigue and suspense in Deathtrap by Ira Levin. Now Tabs Productions has come up with a play that’s almost been forgotten but still has the power to shock and baffle.
The Business of Murder, which premièred in 1981, ran for seven years at the Duchess and Mayfair theatres in London. Hardly surprising when you consider the writer’s pedigree.
Richard Harris is probably best known for his tap-dancing musical Stepping Out. He also co-created the hugely successful television series Man in a Suitcase in the ‘60s and Shoestring in the ‘70s, so you could say he knows a fair bit about murder.
Sarah Wynne Kordas (Dee) and David Gilbrook (Stone). Above: David Gilbrook (Stone) and John Goodrum (Hallett)
The Business of Murder is set in a first-floor flat in a London suburb in the 1980s. It features three characters: Hallett, a detective superintendent who in many ways is the stereotypical policeman of the time; Stone, the owner of the flat who appears to be a mild-mannered, put-upon, slightly pathetic person; and Dee, a journalist turned playwright.
Stone has invited Dee to his home on the pretext of giving feedback to his wife on a play she’s written. But nothing is as straightforward as it seems.
The Business of Murder marks the first appearance in this Thriller Season of two regulars, John Goodrum and David Gilbrook.
Goodrum first appears wearing a trilby and a mac, the archetypal ‘80s copper. He looks like someone who is not averse to bending the rules in his quest for justice, and this is soon clear in his attitude. Goodrum adds a slight swagger to the character who has misogynistic, selfish traits. It’s a thrilling depiction.
Gilbrook, who gave an “astonishing” performance as Lestrange in Goodrum’s play about Jack the Ripper, The Ripper Files!, earlier in 2025, is similarly impressive here. The furtive Stone reveals himself to be a convoluted character, and Gilbrook cleverly peels back the layers as the complexities of Stone’s background become apparent.
The only actor to appear in all three plays of the 2025 Classic Thriller Season is Sarah Wynne Kordas. After playing devious Nancy Allwright in Death by Fatal Murder and interfering Myra Bruhl in Deathtrap, she turns her talents to Dee, the seemingly altruistic writer who has secrets that gradually come to light. Kordas commendably handles emotions of bemusement, fear, terror and despair.
Sarah Wynne Kordas (Dee) and John Goodrum (Hallett)
The first half of The Business of Murder takes a while to get going, and some people might find it slow or laborious as Stone, preparing to welcome his guests, arranges the scene. Thanks to subtle direction by Karen Henson, I and most of the audience on press night found the lack of dialogue in that scene intriguing.
Harris has thought of every possible scenario that leads to the play’s thrilling conclusion. It’s written in such a way that it doesn’t seem out of date, even though there’s no mention of DNA or CCTV cameras.
As in previous thriller seasons, Tabs has saved the best until last. The Business of Murder should do good business for the rest of the week.
* This review originally appeared on the British Theatre Guide website
