Following the critically acclaimed smash-hit primetime ITV series Grace, Wish You Were Dead – featuring DSI Roy Grace – will arrive at Mayflower Theatre from Tuesday 6 to Saturday 10 June.
Wish You Were Dead follows DSI Roy Grace and Cleo Morey as they take a much needed holiday together.
Cleo hopes that she will finally get Grace to herself for a few days, and away from his crime solving exploits – but their dream escape turns out to be the holiday from hell, as the past comes back to haunt them.
Based on the best-selling novel by the UK’s number one crime author, Peter James, this will be the sixth stage adaptation of James’ novels – making it the most successful crime thriller stage franchise since Agatha Christie.
“I have always loved live theatre,” says Peter. “So it’s been thrilling to watch how much audiences around the UK have loved the plays.
“Audiences love to be on the edge of their seats and sometimes shocked, always hoping when that final curtain falls, order will have been restored and the world will seem just a little bit of a better place.”
George Rainsford, who played Ethan in BBC’s Casualty for nine years, will take on the stage role of DSI Grace, with Katie McGlynn making her theatre debut as Cleo, and Clive Mantle starring as Curtis.
“I haven’t been on-stage for about 10 years,” says George. “So it’s good to be part of an ensemble again.
“I’ve always enjoyed the live element of doing a play, the audience reaction, the adrenalin it generates and so on. And, the reaction we are getting from audiences so far on the tour has been amazing. They seem to be loving it!
“Grace is a fantastic role, something I can really get my teeth into.”
“The feeling you get being part of a live audience, the goosebumps that run up and down your arms, doesn’t happen at home in front of the telly,” adds Katie.
“You get completely engrossed in a story, taken into a different world.
“In Wish You Were Dead, Grace and Cleo have tried to get a short break from their world and gone away on holiday, only to find that crime and trouble still follow them.
“I’m so looking forward to performing in front of people around the country and hopefully helping them forget about their own troubles for a couple of hours.
“This may sound a bit cheesy but I can’t wait to be part of that magical experience.”
Tickets for Wish You Were Dead (6 – 10 June) are on sale at mayflower.org.uk or 02380 711811.
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