Karoline Leach’s 1997 work The Mysterious Mr Love is at first glance an unusual play to be included in the Theatre Royal’s Classic Thriller Season. Unlike the first two offerings, Peter Gordon’s Murdered to Death and Fatal Encounter by Francis Durbridge, there’s no suspicious death that needs to be investigated and the audience has no desire to discover whodunnit.
But like the previous week’s presentation, Veronica’s Room by Ira Levin, The Mysterious Mr Love is a psychological slow-burner that has you wondering right from the beginning what the outcome will be.
Set in 1912, the play features conman George Love who poses as a diplomat but in reality is a fortune hunter, marrying vulnerable women who hand over their money to him before he makes a swift getaway. When he sees plain, plump Adelaide Pinchin, a seamstress who works in the back of a hat shop, he decides she will be his next victim. But things don’t go entirely to plan.
On their honeymoon in a seedy hotel in Weston-super-Mare, Adelaide spurns Love’s advances due to her low esteem linked to problems with her controlling father. Will he continue to charm her and scarper with her £50 savings? Or will he have genuine feelings for her which will convince him to change his ways? Will she fall for his lies and suffer in the same way other women were taken in by his charms and bravado? Or will she turn the tables and win him over?
The Mysterious Mr Love is a two-hander performed skilfully by John Goodrum, appearing in his second play in the season, and Sarah Wynne Kordas, who has been on stage for all but one of the four plays in 2024.
Goodrum gave a commanding performance as Howard Mansfield in Fatal Encounter and here produces another impressive display as Mr Love, the disreputable bounder who sees women as an easy touch. He gives the impression that Adelaide has won his heart and he has changed, although you are never totally convinced he will settle down to earn an honest living.
Sarah Wynne Kordas rises to the challenge of playing Adelaide. Her latent strength of character comes to the surface when she realises she has the ability to fulfil a lofty ambition in partnership with her husband. Her transformation from a downtrodden, submissive worker into an entrepreneur who knows exactly what she wants is commendable.
The play starts with the two actors at opposite ends of the stage addressing the audience as they reveal their back-story. When they come together, they show chemistry which has presumably been nurtured through appearing alongside each other many times over the years.
Directing her third production in the 2024 season, Karen Henson produces a show as accomplished as Veronica’s Room, with The Mysterious Mr Love capturing the audience’s engagement throughout.
The Classic Thriller Season will soon be over for another year—but few people will dispute that the 2024 plays have enhanced Tabs Productions’ reputation for selecting a diverse range of plays with something to please all tastes.