Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (reviewed Saturday 25 October 2025).
Gaslight is a Victorian thriller written by Patrick Hamilton in 1938. The 1944 movie starring Ingrid Bergman and Angela Lansbury in her first feature film is an all time Hollywood classic favourite of mine, which sparked my enthusiasm to see this play at Arts Theatre Cronulla.
The story is powerful on many levels, most notably that it garnered 18-year old Angela Lansbury her first Academy Award nomination, and secondly, the title coined the verb gaslighting in our present day vocabulary. And indeed, there is plenty of that in this production directed by ATC President Michael Gooley. The program adds some poignant notes about why this particular play was chosen.
Margareta Moir is Bella, the dutiful wife cruelly being gaslighted by her husband Jack (played by Gary Clark). Although set in an archaic time period, the dialogue painfully resonated with me. Everything said and done by Jack (from future faking to comparing Bella to her pretty young maid) made me shift uncomfortably in my seat. The audience audibly gasped too. How dare he!
Imposing in Bella’s world is saucy maid Nancy (played mischievously by Suzie Stipanovic) and the grave housekeeper Elizabeth (played by Ann Sayegh). Are they silently judging Bella, gossiping about her behind her back every time she trips up? Or are they just doing their jobs, minding their own business? Jack tells Bella she’s just over-reacting and making things up. Yet the paranoia that Bella feels is real and palpable.
Pacing is slow but not isolated to this production; it’s consistently mentioned in theatre reviews for this play across most theatre companies. The script is compelling but reveals too much too soon, leaving the audience impatiently waiting for Bella to finally muster up some courage to confront the situation; meanwhile Inspector Rough enters the scene to warn Bella about everything that she should know, think and fear.
Michael Gooley plays both the major role of Inspector Rough as well as directing the play, and though Gooley’s hands are full, his character is given plenty of room to let loose and have some fun.
The staging showcases special effects with the lighting and dimming of gaslight lamps, indicating that the master is at home, creeping about.
Overall the audience enjoyed this unique and suspenseful psychological thriller.
Gaslight is playing at Arts Theatre Cronulla till 29 November 2025. For tickets and showtimes, go to https://www.artstheatrecronulla.com.au/gaslight
Image Credit: Graham West