An Interrogation by Jamie Armitage, Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, 25 January 2025

Janie and I love the Hampstead Theatre Downstairs. Have I made that point on Ogblog before? [About 40 times – ed].

Here is yet another example of excellent theatre work down there.

In truth, police procedurals don’t tend to float our boats. They tend to be somewhat formulaic and usually more than a little predictable. Perhaps the term “procedurals” is a bit of a giveaway in that regard.

This piece worked well and kept us rapt with attention, through the quality of the writing, directing and acting.

Elements of the conceit of the play required a little too much suspension of belief for me. The play opens with the statement that the average missing person/abductee is killed 72 hours after the abduction, which is supposed to keep us in suspense as the clock ticks down to the 72 hour mark while the central interrogation takes place. But of course such averages are meaningless averages, as almost all cases result in murder very quickly or the death of hostages after an extended period of time. Almost none would reach resolution at the 72 hour mark.

Yet in suspense and rapt with attention we still were, on the back of the quality of the writing, directing and acting. Have I mentioned that aspect before? [Yes, but keep going. ed].

Here is a link to the Hampstead Theatre rubric on this play/production. It is running until 22 February 2025 and only has limited seating availability left, on the back of excellent reviews.

Jamie Ballard, Colm Gormley and Rosie Sheehy all act their parts extremely well. The twists and turns in the story seem credible and natural in their hands. Jamie Armitage wrote and directed this piece. I usually think that writers directing their own work is a bit of a mistake, as a good director can often dredge depths in a piece that the writer cannot find. But in this instance I think the combined role works well. The use of cameras/video, for example, is clearly an integral part of both the writing and the way the story is depicted on stage.

Don’t take our word for it. This link provides links to reviews of both the Hampstead production and the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe first showing of this piece.

Janie and I love the Hampstead Theatre Downstairs. [Surely you’ve got more important things to do than repeat yourself on Ogblog – ed].