Stage: Buried Alive

Murderous intent abounds, in the new stage production of Peter James’ Dead Simple at Theatre Royal Brighton

Following the critically acclaimed stage production of Peter James’ The Perfect Murder, the best selling work of the No.1 novelist will return to the stage early next year with an adaptation of Dead Simple, his most famous and popular book to date.

Cast includes Tina Hobley, Jamie Lomas and Gray O’ Brien, who bring the next claustrophobically thrilling instalment of Peter James’ work to life on stage at Theatre Royal Brighton, from Monday 23 – Saturday 28 February 2015.

Michael Harrison thinks he has it all in a great career, good friends and a beautiful fiancée. But when his stag night prank goes horribly wrong, Michael finds himself alone, buried alive and staring death in the face. As time runs out and the terror grows, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace tries to solve his mysterious disappearance, but begins to fear that Michael will never be found in time.

Olivier Award winner Ian Talbot directs an all-star cast led by Tina Hobley, who returns to the stage having graced TV screens for the last 12 years as ward sister Chrissie Williams in BBC1’s Holby City, as well as roles in Coronation Street and Harbour Lights before that, and was seen earlier this year on Celebrity MasterChef. She currently presents the prime time Sunday morning programme on Smooth FM.

Award-winning TV heartthrob, Jamie Lomas, has starred for the last year in Eastenders as the murderous Jake Stone, and before that played ‘bad boy’ Warren Fox for five years in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks. And Gray O’Brien, the award-winning star of Coronation Street, TV series Titanic, Peak Practice and Casualty as well as Sleuth in the West End, will follow up his critically acclaimed performance in The Perfect Murder by playing the famous Detective Roy Grace in this gripping, chilling thriller that has all the classic suspense, twists and characteristic turns of a best-selling James novel.

Peter James has gone straight in at number one in the Sunday Times bestseller charts seven times in the last four years with his Roy Grace series. He has sold over 15 million books in this series, and is published in 36 languages. Dead Simple is the second of James’ novels to be adapted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Peter James and Joshua Andrews.

Peter James said of the ongoing collaboration with Andrews: “It is a real thrill now for Josh and I to be launching our second collaboration. This tale of treachery and deceit seems to touch a nerve in everyone who reads it and has been one of my best-selling books to date. I had myself locked in a coffin for 30 minutes as part of my research, and it was one of the scariest moments of my life. It’s so many people’s worst nightmare to be buried alive, and I’m looking forward to recreating some of that terror in the theatres soon, with another incredible cast of actors!”

Dead Simple at Theatre Royal Brighton,
Mon 23 – Sat 28 Feb 2015, Eves 7.45pm,
Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm
www.atgtickets.com/brighton*
0844 871 7650*
*(booking fee applies)