For some people, their knowledge of the play Sleuth comes from the memorable 1972 film version starring Laurence Olivier and the recently-retired Michael Caine.
But actor Neil McDermott, who appears in the current stage version, says he purposely avoided watching it when preparing for the role.
The play, “one of the greatest psychological thrillers”, also stars Todd Boyce of Coronation Street fame. He plays the character of Andrew Wyke.
This touring production is coming to the Cambridge Arts Theatre next week and is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, whose many credits include working with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).
When I spoke to Neil McDermott – who is probably best known as Ryan Malloy in EastEnders and whose character in this is called Milo Tindle – he was in Eastbourne, a stop on the tour.
Two days previously on his way down to the coast, Todd Boyce had taken ill, leaving understudy Lee Peck to fill in for him.
In a review forSussex World titled ‘Understudy saves the day in Eastbourne thriller’, the reviewer wrote that Peck “proved an excellent sparring partner for Andrew’s young rival, Milo Tindle, superbly played by Neil McDermott”.
“How very kind, thanks Mum,” jokes Neil, commenting on this positive appraisal of his work. He also notes that it was the first time on the tour that an understudy had had to go on.
“He went on on Monday night and did a fine job, and remembered all those words, which is important,” says Neil.
In the story, a young man called Milo Tindle (McDermott) arrives at the lavish home of famous mystery writer Andrew Wyke (Boyce), only to be unwittingly drawn into a tangled web of intrigue and gamesmanship, where nothing is quite as it seems.
This dark piece makes for an intriguing study of human conflict, jealousy, and manipulation, proving to be far more than just a ‘whodunnit’.
Neil says the play has been “really well received by audiences all over the country, and it’s been reviewed pretty well along the way as well”.
He notes that the plot involves Andrew, aware that Milo is having an affair with his wife, trying to devise a situation in which Milo can take her off his hands.
“They need to come to an arrangement where Andrew wants to make sure that he can afford to take his wife off his hands,” observes Neil, “so it’s quite an interesting set-up to begin, and obviously there’s lots of twists and turns on the way.
“This is a thriller that’s been described as ‘the greatest thriller of all time’, written in 1970 by [Trinity College graduate] Anthony Shaffer, and then made into a film, with Michael Caine playing my role and Laurence Olivier playing the older part.
“It was later made into another film where Michael Caine took on the older part and Jude Law played the younger role.
“It ran on Broadway and the West End for 12 years and picked up a Tony Award – so we know we’re dealing with really good stuff, if you know what I mean.
“It’s just a really well-written play and it’s a fantastic part to play.
“To get an opportunity to have a go at it, if you like, after obviously many, many actors have had their take on it before, and to try and do something fresh and new and interesting for an audience of 2024…
“I suppose if we think today about thrillers, they’re often on TV, aren’t they, in terms of things like The Traitors and Squid Game, and I guess those sorts of TV programmes over the years have been inspired by the thrillers before them – and this was one of the original masterpieces of thriller writing, I guess, along with all of the kind of Agatha Christie stuff.”
AlthoughSleuth is set 50 years ago, Neil says they “try and make sure it’s accessible for an audience of today”, adding: “We’ve updated some of the language that might not be understandable, or just received differently to today’s audience.
“We try and think of ways where we can be as thrilling as possible.
“The play is from 1970 and is set in 1970, but we don’t give what you might term an ‘old-fashioned performance’; we’re trying to make it feel ‘real’ for today’s audience.
“Acting styles have changed over the years, so what Laurence Olivier was doing in 1970 I don’t think would be received in the same way today, so we take our own versions of those characters and try and make it accessible.”
Is Neil familiar with the film versions, the second of which came out in 2007 and was less enthusiastically received than the first upon its release?
“I saw the Jude Law one when it came out, that’s the more modern one, and I haven’t seen the original,” he replies. “I decided not to go back to the films and just try and look at the play myself and take what I could from it, first and foremost.
“Our director was familiar with the film... but for today’s audience we wanted to do something slightly different with the characters, I guess, to make sure they were recognisable.
“Milo Tindle, the part I play, he’s from Italian heritage, so he feels quite European to me when I read the part, and that’s something that Andrew kind of teases him about in the play.
“So we wanted to make sure he felt Italian, not in accent or anything like that, because he was born here in England, but just a feel for the character.
“That’s probably a main difference to something that Michael Caine did in the movie and perhaps what other actors have done over the years...
“So he looks Italian and he’s got that fire and passion that you might associate with somebody who’s a bit more Mediterranean.”
Clearly enamoured with Sleuth, Neil, who came to the Cambridge Arts Theatre last year with Home, I’m Darling, says of the play: “It’s got so many twists and turns that hopefully the idea is that we’re able to keep the audience guessing a lot of the time.
“One of the big themes of the play is deception, there’s a little bit about jealousy and humiliation as well, but the idea is that you can never quite trust what somebody else is saying, and you’re never quite sure who’s winning the game, if you like, at any point.
“So that’s why I always think of The Traitors, the TV programme, because that’s very much what that’s about – not being able to fully trust what the other person’s saying to you and it being a big game.
“That’s kind of what it is here. Because Andrew’s a writer, he’s trying to create his own story, which Milo ends up being a part of.
“I think if somebody’s seen the film and is coming to watch [the play] and they remember the film, then of course they’ll be aware of a lot of the twists and turns – but it’s still enjoyable for those people to watch to see how we go about playing those games, if you like.
“And obviously for those who haven’t seen it, I would say don’t go and watch the film on YouTube or anywhere else and allow yourself to experience it for the first time in theatre.”
Sleuth starts on Monday, 18 March, at the Cambridge Arts Theatre and runs until Saturday, 23 March. Tickets, priced £20-£40, are available from cambridgeartstheatre.com.
