ARCHIVE - PAST EVENT

by James Bridie

A deliciously black, almost grand guignol, comedy -  

Robert Dawson Scott, The Times

Glasgow, 1920: Dr. Johnson - earnest, English, newly-graduated - seems to have fallen on his feet when he is invited to join the Glasgow practice of the esteemed if somewhat eccentric Dr. Angelus. With a steady flow of patients and the constant guidance of his philosophizing new mentor, Johnson’s future looks positively rosy.

But it soon become apparent that all is not as it quite seems in the Angelus consulting rooms. Angelus’s mother-in-law is seriously ill with a mysterious, debilitating condition, despite receiving around-the-clock care from Angelus himself. The relationship between the married Dr. Angelus and his precocious maid Jeannie doesn’t seem entirely proper. And the renowned consultant, Sir Gregory Butt, reveals grave concerns about Angelus’s medical skills – and advises the young Johnson against signing any death certificates for “unexplained” demises . . .

One of the last great works written by the founding father of the modern Scottish theatre,  Dr. Angelus - part psychological thriller, part pitch black comedy - was made famous by Alistair Sim’s mesmerizing performance in the title role in the original 1947 production. Now the dark doctor returns to mark the anniversary of James Bridie’s death in 1951, the same year that PFT was born. Welcome to the strange and deadly world of Dr. Angelus!

Theatregoers can be assured of a quality production - Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser