The Guilty grabs your attention from the get go.
It’s Russell Tovey (as Joe) in one room fielding 999 calls – from the mundane (loud party next door) to the over dramatic (one man had his belongings taken by a hooker). But then one call comes in that’s too close to home. It’s a woman in distress. Apparently she’s been kidnapped by her ex-husband, but to make matters worse she’s left her two very young children at home, including a little girl who happens to be the same age as Joe’s daughter. You see Joe is estranged from his wife and rarely sees his daughter, but we really don’t understand why. Could it be related to the calls he gets at work from journalists asking for his side of the story evidently about a 999 call that went wrong? As one of the lights flicker above his desk, the constant ringing (and blinking red lights from the phones), the drama ramps up, and the audience hearts pound, until the end, when the reveal comes.
At a short running time of one hour, The Guilty, at the Donmar Warehouse, leaves the audience questioning who is guilty and of what crime? But Tovey brings his all to this role – it’s a lot of dialogue to learn – and he’s all alone on the stage (except for the last few minutes). Ten more minutes would’ve been acceptable in order for playwright Chloe Moss to provide a bit more backstory to Tovey’s character. Nonetheless, with tight direction by Felix Barrett, this show is all about Tovey who is definitely earning his paycheck. Is there anything this man can’t do?