Rebus: Long Shadows, Birmingham REP - review with pictures

The BBC has led the way with the intense Bodyguard where D.S.Budd takes on an unholy alliance of corrupt police and politicians, organised crime and jihadist terrorists. Killing Eve has some well-matched protagonists and some surprising twists and turns and even ITV has contributed the interesting, if a little convoluted, Strangers.

This has followed years of Scandi-noir success with productions like the Bridge, the Killing and Wallender, although I though Kenneth Branagh’s remake of the series was a disaster.

One of the mains reasons for the success of these shows was the fact the the directors concentrated on telling the story, and the strength of the characters followed on from that.

English crime often followed a gentler route. Ian Rankin had built a a solid reputation with his Inpector Rebus character, which made a successful transition to the small screen.But trying to get a novel from page to stage is a much more difficult exercise. An author can use all sorts of writing devices to jump back and forwards in time, or to go into detail about matters he feels need more clarification. The director of a film or TV version can also use visual technology to highlight aspects they feel more important. But a stage production has a large audience, although some of them might be some distance away.

So Ian Rankin came up with a new plot about one of his oldest characters, the maverick and somewhat flawed John Rebus. He opted to collaborate with the talented Scottish playwright Rona Munro who worked primarily on the characters.

The result is a play that works not just as a whodunnit but also as a psychological appraisal of the thee main characters.

The story has Rebus coming into contact with the daughter of a woman murdered in 2001-- a case which has never been solved. She challenges him to resolve the case in the intersts of Truth and Justice, and so he turns to his old colleague Siobhan Clarke. This in turn brings in Big Ger Cafferty, a notorious Glaswegian criminal who seems to know some of the answers. This throws up more problems which are only finally resolved after some soul searching by those involved, and where their motives were not always entirely honourable.

Charles Lawson is impressive as Rebus, trying to right wrongs but having to face up to some of the shortcomings of his earlier career. John Stahl is the successful gangster who knows that knowledge is the most important commodity while Cathy Tyson is the perfect foil for Rebus as his long-time colleague who believes in police-work as a team effort.

Director Robin Lefevre ensures that the action flows smoothly and designer Ti Green’s minimalistic set is perfect for a touring production such as this.

Rebus: Long Shadows runs at the Rep until 6th October.

By Jerald Smith