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★★★★
Razor Sharp Productions are currently based at the Golden Goose Theatre in London with their new play Prince / David: a two-act thriller focusing on a fictional missing persons case in the late 1990s. Written over a period of 4 years by Yasir Senna, Prince / David is inspired by the real-life disappearance of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh and draws on the devastating circumstances of the key suspect not being brought to justice. Highlighting the differences between the coverage of missing persons cases historically and the present day, the play aims to make audiences reflect on how missing women are treated in the media and the complexities around securing convictions.
Background
Directed by Senna, the play covers the fictional disappearance of aspiring model Amber Da Costa and how a female police officer (PC Stecklen/DS Stecklen) sets out to finally find her suspected murderer after all these years. Rather than follow a whodunnit format, the drama focuses on the policing at the heart of the case and how different things were in the nineties. Covering themes of misogyny, the role of media in covering missing person cases and the complexities of having enough evidence for the Crown Prosecution Service, it is a deeply thought-provoking piece of theatre.
Covering 25 years of policing
It is no easy feat covering a 25-year period in under two hours of theatre, particularly with how much society has evolved from 1999 until the present day. The time jumps are defined by the fading of stage lighting, appropriate background music and a projector on the wall that illustrates the location and current year.
The performers themselves cleverly highlight the changes in society through the characters of the past and present, using body language to showcase the evolution of the police force and the relationships between staff of different ranks. Even though hierarchy is still extremely relevant, the atmosphere in the later years is a lot more relaxed, largely influenced by PC Stecklen/DS Stecklen’s own experiences in the force and individual aspirations for her colleagues to be heard, regardless of career history and personal background.
Portrayal of PC Stecklen/DS Stecklen
Helen Matthews portrays PC Stecklen/DS Stecklen and the actor’s calm and pragmatic delivery is much appreciated, as too often we see over confident police figures in the arts. Following due process in bringing the killer to justice, over the course of the time period, the officer goes from an enthusiastic Police Constable operating the Crime Stoppers line to a mature Detective Sergeant who is desperate to resolve historic cases. There is one particular moment where the character reveals her own personal aspirations for finding the abductor and this had a profound impact on me. DS Stecklen gives the audience an insight into her inner workings through a speech about what it means to be a woman and the risks faced on a daily basis. Whilst I don’t want to give away the context and perspective of the monologue, any woman watching would be able to empathise with the character’s words.
Precision and clarity
Overall the play could benefit from a little more precision and clarity in the dialogue. For example, there appeared to be a few slip ups in the terminology used across the two acts, which in places affected the realism and research of the work. Nevertheless, how Helen Matthews, Nabhan Uddin, Richard Houghton-Evans, Helena Heaven and Barbara Dunin managed to pull off the present day victim/suspect location comparison scene was nothing short of impressive.
A conscientious piece of writing
A thoughtful and impactful piece of new writing, Razor Sharp Productions’ Prince / David covers some really important topics, shining a light on the handling of missing women’s cases historically. Theatre has the power to make audiences reflect on history and I left the venue grateful that missing person cases in the UK get more media coverage in 2024, regardless of age, gender and background. The play is at the Golden Goose Theatre in Camberwell until Saturday 6th July, with tickets available via the theatre’s website.
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
*My ticket for Prince / David was gifted in exchange for an unbiased review.
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