Kill for a Ticket! – Theatre review.

Dead Guilty by Richard Harris.

🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 – 5 out of 5 glasses of wine!

Theatre At The Tabard
2 Bath Road
London
W4 1LW

Yet again the Tabard Theatre are punching above their weight in their intimate space. Yet again production values… the colourful and lively set, lights and sound… are West End quality. And yet again they have a tip-top, West End quality cast.

Although this tense thriller works better at the intimate Tabard than it would in the West End. We are almost ‘in’ the action. Dead Guilty was first performed at the Apollo Theatre in the West End in 1995 and Richard Harris has revised the play for the Tabard production. Directed by Nick Bromley and produced by the Tabard Theatre, this thriller cleverly starts and ends in a single spotlight.

The story concerns Julia, a graphic designer played with delicate and impressive conviction by Charlotte Hunter, who is badly injured in a car crash when her employer John Haddrell suffers a fatal heart attack at the wheel. Housebound and fragile in both mind and body, she cuts herself off from friends and colleagues and instead depends on the two people she has persuaded herself she can trust. But can she?

Richard Harris’ credits include A Touch Of Frost, The Sweeney, The Avengers and The Last Detective. He has written such stage plays as Stepping Out and Outside Edge. He also wrote the West End hit The Business of Murder which enjoyed a successful revival at the Tabard Theatre in 2024.

His television skills are obvious here.

The play is intricately plotted, but the ‘real life’ characters mean that although this is certainly a thriller, the story never feels completely out of the realms of possibility. It’s a drama without being a melodrama and Richard Harris and Nick Bromley manage to skilfully straddle high drama and suspense with the everyday and comedy, cleverly examining different facets of loss. It soon transpires that something is amiss in Julia’s front room. Items in the house aren’t where she left them, small details people have told her don’t add up and Julia is left wondering who in her life she can depend on.

And the cast are universally dead good! We have Margaret, John’s surviving wife, whose desire to nurse Julia back to health starts to feel slightly smothering. Played by Felicity Duncan, Margaret initially presents as a warm and nurturing maternal figure. After meeting Julia, she seems eager to help, quickly becoming another indispensable presence in her life. Duncan captures Margaret’s kindness with great authenticity, creating a character who is immediately engaging and sympathetic.

Anne, Julia’s counsellor, is portrayed by Julia Faulkner. Anne appears to be the epitome of professionalism and empathy, genuinely invested in her client’s well-being. It’s a measured and nuanced performance, combining reassuring gentleness with an unwavering firmness.

There’s also Gary, Julia’s devoted handyman, whose helpful visage appears to be hiding ulterior motives. Gary, played by Freddie Webster, is a slightly lovesick, eager and devoted helper who seems unable to do enough for her. He is often funny, but there is still some sort of menace about him

Julia herself is far from the martyred archetype of the traumatised survivor, and is often irritable and sardonic in her interactions with the other characters. The multi-layered performances of the actors leave the audience not knowing quite who to trust, with perspectives on each character constantly shifting throughout. In fact the performances alone are worth the price of a ticket!

Dead Guilty is Dead Good!

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DEAD GUILTY by Richard Harris at The Tabard Theatre

10th-27th June 2026.

Writer – Richard Harris

The cast

Julia – Charlotte Hunter

Margaret – Felicity Duncan

Gary – Freddie Webster

Anne – Julia Faulkner

The creatives

Director – Nick Bromley

Set Designer – Rob Miles

Costume Designer – Faith Powlett

Lighting Designer – Nat Green

Set Build and Scenic Artistry – Rob Miles and Pat McMahon

Stage Manager – Claire-Monique Martin

Produced by Simon and Sarah Reilly for Take Note Theatre for the Tabard

Photography: Felix Hall Close