Inspector John Rebus first shambled into life, hungover and smoking a cigarette, in Ian Rankin’s debut novel in 1987.
And almost 40 years later, this flawed, fascinating character remains a fixture in Scottish culture.
A BBC drama this year reimagined Rebus in the present day, bringing the gruff copper to a whole new audience, and a stage version is currently touring the UK.
A Game Called Malice, created by Rankin and co-writer Colin Meade, began its Aberdeen run at His Majesty’s Theatre last night.
Soap opera villain turns hero as Rebus
It was only a few months ago that Gray O’Brien (best remembered by many as Coronation Street villain Tony Gordon) stole the show in a well-received production of Twelve Angry Men at HMT.
He returned last night, less cross this time.
The plot revolved around a fancy Edinburgh dinner party, where a murder mystery game turns all too real.
Rebus is among the guests, attending as a plus-one and entering a world he’s not quite used to.
To say a whole lot more would be to reveal too much about a plot packed with twists and turns.
But I can tell you it’s worth a trip.
What can Aberdeen audiences expect at Rebus show?
It was with some high expectations that I attended, having gone along to a memorable Rebus play at the same venue in 2018.
(As it happens, on that occasion it was actor Charlie Lawson, Coronation Street’s Jim McDonald, playing the legendary sleuth.)
Did you go to the show? Let us know your thoughts in our comments section below
Show began with a jolt
It was a sunny September night outside, but HMT was plunged into darkness with the flick of a switch as the play began in foreboding fashion.
We were introduced to the ensemble in a plush property on leafy Heriot Row in Edinburgh’s New Town, with the middle class get-together in full swing.
Even after the lights went up, the audience was left in the dark trying to piece together exactly who was who and what secrets they each may be concealing.
This meant it took a while to get into, but the piece did get its hooks into the Aberdeen crowd as it went on.
Smarmy villain was a joy to watch at Aberdeen Rebus show
O’Brien was the glue that held the production together, though this was a Rebus a bit more suave than I imagined from the books.
The Scot wasn’t the only soap royalty on stage, with Billy Hartman (who was Terry Woods in Emmerdale for 16 years) playing Jack Fleming with gleeful smarm.
As a gambling kingpin with a shady past, it was Harman who stole the show – switching from his veneer of moneyed pomposity to reveal moments of genuine menace.
A casually delivered four-letter outburst towards the end was a genuine laugh-out-loud moment.
Abigail Thaw played Rebus’s potential love interest as lawyer Stephanie Jeffries – performing with just enough ambiguity to make us question whether she might be hiding some unsavoury criminal links herself.
The tension escalated over the 90-minute production, with clues piling up and secrets seeping out.
Rebus appears to be the gift that keeps on giving for crime fiction fans, and I am sure Ian Rankin’s army of Aberdeen followers will lap up this latest chance to spend time in his company.
The Aberdeen Rebus show runs until Saturday, September 21. You can buy tickets here.
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