Rebecca (MTC), at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner - 1 hour 45 minutes, with no interval

Imagine falling in love with a man many years your senior whose wife passed a year earlier, then quickly marrying him and moving to his stunning, sprawling estate.

But far from the world being your oyster, you are shut off from his thoughts, isolated and lonely, very much living in the shadow of his beautiful drawcard first wife.

Photos by Pia Johnson

That is the lot of the second Mrs de Winter (Nikki Shiels) in the psychological thriller Rebecca.

It is an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 unsettling gothic masterpiece, which Alfred Hitchcock made into a movie two years later.

What is immediately evident is the manipulation of thought, leading to feelings of inadequacy for the key protagonist.

In her early twenties, the naïve, soon to be Mrs de Winter II is employed as a companion to overbearing American Mrs Van Hopper (Pamela Rabe).

It is while on holiday in Monte Carlo that they run into the wealthy owner of Manderley, a property in Cornwall, Maximilian de Winter (Stephen Phillips).

In no time, Maxim sweeps the young woman off her feet. When, at short notice, Mrs Van Hopper decides to head back to the US, Maxim surprisingly proposes.

Although Mrs Van Hopper offers the soon to be Mrs de Winter II a timely warning, the latter has stars in her eyes, which are soon enough blunted.

That happens after she is introduced to Manderley’s cold housekeeper Mrs Danvers (also Pamela Rabe), who is highly protective of the first Mrs de Winter’s legacy.

Mrs de Winter II is greatly distressed by the prospect that she can’t measure up and never will.

Maxim does nothing to allay her fears. He is moody and prone to anger. She fears that he is still very much in love with now deceased first Mrs de Winter.

But the truth is far more sinister.

Developed under the MTC’s NEXT STAGE Writers’ Program, Rebecca is a compelling sensory experience.

Its strength lies not just in the well drawn characters and in the acting, which is first rate, but in the sets, costuming, lighting and sound.

Pamela Rabe is masterful in not just the two characters I have referenced thus far, but in a third, namely Maxim’s wilful sister, Beatrice.

She brings different sensibilities to all three, switching effortlessly from one to another, generating emotional resonance. The audience laughs uproariously and can feel the judgment of Beatrice and dread that pervades Mrs de Winter II.

It is a testament to the fine actor that Nikki Shiels is that she can so readily channel the trepidation she does for much of the one hour 45 minute play without interval.

Mrs de Winter II is playing catch up for much of the tale and takes a long time to find her voice. Shiels brings that to the fore.

Stephen Phillips performs aloof with distinction. He is positively transactional most of the time, as a darkness overwhelms his character, Maximilian de Winter.

In a quick scene, Phillips also dresses down to represent a dishevelled vagrant on the beach.

I was also most taken by the fourth actor in the cast, Toby Truslove, who – like Rabe and Phillips – is totally at ease tackling more than one persona.

First up, it is Maxim’s confidante and advisor Frank Crawley, who is respectful of Mrs de Winter II, but holds his cards close to his chest.  

And then it is self-assured, forward Jack Favell, the first Mrs de Winter’s favourite cousin.

Truslove transitions from honourable to manipulative.

A striking floral tree on a bare stage greets the audience as we enter the theatre.

Most effective are props like it, including café tables, furniture and clothing – representing various aspects of the script – frequently changed between scenes.

They are the brainchild of director Anne-Louise Sarks’ long-time collaborator (this is their 13^th show together), set and costume designer Marg Horwell.

Speaking of costuming, an example of her prowess is captured in the divergent clothing worn by Pamela Rabe in her three roles.

The sound, music and lighting used in the piece to create the atmospherics is impressive.

Co-composers and sound designers Grace Ferguson and Joe Paradise Lui, and lighting designer Paul Jackson set the tone with haunting alacrity and precision.

The complexities and character of Rebecca (the play) have been captured in full by director Anne-Louise Sarks, who has taken to it with a contemporary feminist lens.

It remains edgy and enticing, eloquent and engaging.

It is on at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner until 5^th November, 2025.