"Gaslight" was always one of those movies I meant to watch but somehow never got around to. I have a vague recollection of Tivo-ing it once a few years ago, watching a few minutes of it, falling asleep, and then never finishing it. Well, a Tivo auto-record wishlist has been once again set up, so the next time it's on, I will be sure to watch it.
The reason behind my newfound re-interest in the movie is that I just returned home from the first preview of the Irish Rep's production of the play that the film was based on - a play originally titled "Angel Street," and conveniently re-titled for this production, presumably because the film's title is better known, therefore theoretically resulting in stronger ticket sales.
Well, one thing about going to live theatre is that even if you dose off for a bit, you don't really have the option of pressing stop or delete - you're stuck there until intermission. All that worked to my advantage, because even if I did nod off a bit in the first act (not because the production was bad, but simply because I was really tired), I was awake to watch enough of the show to pique my interest and make we want to stay for the whole thing.
The production values for the production are excellent - the costumes are lovely and the set definitely fills the tiny little stage and makes it look as lush as possible. The acting is all around quite good, especially for a first preview. One of the reasons that I dragged myself to the show was the name Brian Murray, an actor who never disappoints - and certainly didn't let me down this time. He is delightful in the role of the detective.
As for the play itself, I found it to be very entertaining. A nice light thriller that is well suited to the warmer months when people don't really want to use their brains too much. I guess it could be said that the production wasn't really menacing enough - I don't know if I was ever really frightened, which I probably should have been - but I was rarely bored, and overall definitely entertained. Not a must see, but worth seeing if you have some free time.
