What's it about: In Victorian England, Henry Gordon Jago and
Professor Litefoot investigate worrying events on the streets of London – which
seem to be linked to the New Regency Theatre’s resident act, the mesmerist Mr
Rees…
Theatrical Fellow: If you're new
to Jago & Litefoot and are frightened that his blustery personality might
have been watered down over eight seasons of exploration then put your fears to
one side. He is absolutely the same man as he was in Talons albeit with a new
element in his life that allows him to flourish and his best characteristics to
come forth (that element is of course George Litefoot). Jago likes to think
that he can keep a clear head during the intermission of the shows at his
theatre but he doesn't like half measures either. He's always alert to the
extraordinary, people are always candid with him because he has the ability to
put them at their ease. Probably with a drink or two in their hand. Jago says
he is not afraid to die but that is clearly a lie as anybody who knows him
would know. Jago talks very well with his fists as it turns out, a punch that
saves their lives.
Posh Professor: When dealing with the perpetrator of a
grisly crime, Litefoot insists on making the definition between a gentlemen and
a man. According to Jago he is a monolith of the professional fraternity.
Litefoot happily pretends to soothe one of the victims of Rees control into
thinking they have just had a bad dream when his gut is telling him that
something much more sinister is going on. He's quite the performer in that
regard. The climax is very good indeed with the good Professor forced to point
a gun at Henry against his will. I think if he was forced to go through with
the act George might very well have taken his own life whether he was
influenced to or not.
Rees: A character that will stride from one spin off to
another, Rees is the central antagonist of the Worlds box set. Played with
silky voiced perfection by Jamie Glover, he cuts quite an impressive villain in
the opening story. He's a sadist who enjoys forcing people to do things against
their will and has the perfect opportunity to do so in his mesmeric act on
stage. Jago has objected to his cruel act that sees women choking down on raw
onions and worse but he refuses to change a thing, informing the impresario
that he is pulling in the punters and making him a fortune. He does it because
he enjoys it, forcing somebody to kill themselves or others gives him a thrill
that cannot be captured in any other way. Worse, he likes to watch too.
Standout Performance: Benjamin and Baxter. It almost seems
glib to still be placing them in this category after all these series but to
put a fine point on it, this series simply wouldn't work without them. You'd
still have the great storytelling, the atmospheric productions, etc...but
without this pair of spectacular actors bringing their vivid roles to life it
would lack the heart that makes it so unique. Bask in the glory of their work
and the fact that years on it is still as entertaining as it was back when The
Mahogany Murders was released.
Great Ideas: It is probably not a bad idea to start the Jago
& Litefoot section of the box set, a box set that is setting out to
introduce those people who haven't dipped their toes into the spin off ranges
to see what they are all about and to their tastes, with an identical beginning
to Talons of Weng-Chiang. An act at the theatre and Jago waiting in the wings
to give the order for the curtain to go down. It makes the audience feel right
at home. It's almost stereotypical Jago & Litefoot (Litefoot in the
mortuary discovering the details of the latest case) but that is no bad thing
as the norm on this series is still very good it has perfected the formula
which has run a successful eight series now. The New Regency Theatre seems to
be the hub of which the spate of recent murders is taking place in. People are having
disturbing dreams about murdering people, like voices in the head telling them
to perform the homicidal acts. They are all people who have been mesmerised by
Rees on stage at the Regency Theatre. We might look back at the Victorian times
and acts like the mesmerist that forcing people to behave in obscene ways to
please the cheering crowds that want them to be as embarrassed as possible but
(if you have the stomach for it) you should stick on The X-Factor auditions and
you will see that things haven't changed one bit. There are still those who are
desperate to see people disgraced and degrade themselves for the sake of
entertainment. I don't think we've moved on in the slightest, we've just sought
better ways of enticing people into being humiliated by dressing up the circus
as an opportunity for them. I was pleased to see Ellie getting a substantial
role, the writers seem keen for her to take a more active part in the series
these days. She gatecrashes Jago & Litefoot's trip to the theatre, makes her
feelings perfectly clear on the grotesque style of entertainment and almost
suffers the fate of being the next victim. In a very funny moment it appears
that Jago has instigated the birth of audio drama, promoting the idea of
recording the acts at the theatre for punters to play back when they are at
home. He foresees a time when there will be a big enough audience for full cast
dramas to be recorded! It is a smart way of using the phonograph later in the
story to fill in some of the expository gaps for Ellie and PC Quick and an
imaginative to present the story in a different format.
Audio Landscape: Jeering, cheering audience, applause, the
hustle and bustle of a bar, pouring a drink, a flashback to a suicide/murder
with the water sluicing, footsteps, running water, birdsong, gunshot.
Musical Cues: As ever, Howard Carter's music is exemplary
and he ploughs ahead with a sinister, slowed down version of a nursery rhyme
that gives the piece a creepy, Sapphire and Steel-esque feeling at times. When
Rees murders a prostitute in the street with the melancholic chimes of a kids
tune playing it adds a whole new level of menace.
Isn't it Odd: I have seen this plot played out before,
people being manipulated by their dreams to kill, but it is such an insidiously
creepy idea it pays off regardless of whether it is original or not. It takes
our heroes an age to figure out that Rees is behind the murders, given that
they lay out the clues that link the attacks and the people who have been on
stage quite early on.
Standout Scene: My buttocks were firmly clenched during the
scene where one of Rees's victims holds a gun on Jago & Litefoot and it
escalates to a point where it looks like he is going to successfully commit
suicide.
2 comments:
Glad you finally got to this. This was good but not great compared to the little Jago & Litefoot I've heard.
I listened to this in the car today and found it very enjoyable. I even found myself chuckling occasionally at Jago's lines. A straightforward and entertaining story.
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