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The action takes place in the drawing room at the home of Robert and Freda Caplan after dinner one evening in late spring, 1932. The Caplan's are entertaining their friends for a social evening. Gordon Whitehouse and Charles Stanton are Robert's business associates in a publishing firm. Betty Whitehouse is Gordon's wife, Olwen Peel is an old friend of Robert's and Miss Mockridge is an author contracted to the publishers.
The ladies have been in the drawing room listening to a play on the radio which has just finished when the men enter. The men ask what the ladies have been doing and they begin to talk about the play. Olwen remarks she thinks she understands the meaning of the play's title. "The Sleeping Dog" was the truth and the husband in the play couldn't let it lie and it destroyed him.
Robert insists that the truth is paramount and should always be let out whilst some of the others feel that is a foolish notion. As Gordon strugges to tune in the radio to a music station Freda hands round cigarettes. Olwen remarks she recognises the musical cigarette box in which they are contained but Freda responds she must be mistaken as she could not have seen it before. Olwen withdraws her remark but Robert insists on pursuing it. Despite her withdrawal he recognises that Olwen is as certain she has seen the box before as his wife is certain she could not have. As he continues to pursue the matter facts come to light that bring into question the events of an evening a year previously when Robert's brother Martin committed suicide, and bring into question whether Martin was really guilty of stealing money from the firm the men work for and even whether his death was really suicide.
As each question is answered a new one is raised and the timeline of events on that fateful night a year earlier is continually being revised. As more and and more of the truth is revealed relationships begin to break down and all the members of the group find their once secure lives being torn apart.
The play ends as it began, with a rerun of the opening events. Olwen remarks on the cigarette box but this time Gordon finds a music station and distracts the conversation. Freda does not respond, there is no argument, the truth is contained and the couples begin to dance.
An intelligent play that seeks to answer through subsequent events the question it raises in the opening sequence, whether it is better to reveal the truth or whether, in some circumstances at least, that only causes more harm than good. The title is drawn from a remark made by one of the characters that the truth is like skidding round a corner at sixty!
The auditorium at the Aberdeen Arts Centre is laid out more like a cinema than the average theatre and the high stage and wide brightly lit proscenium opening only adds to the illusion that one is watching a film in incredible 3D.
The impressive set realistically represented the drawing room of a 1930's home with bay window, fireplace, period furniture and old-fashioned radio. The costumes were equally as good, consisting of black suit and bow ties for the men and elegant evening gowns for the ladies. Background music from the period was used to set the mood and introduce the action.
Top marks go to Malcolm Turner whose performance as the saturnine and sarcastic Charles Stanton was absolutely first class. John Stott also gave a powerful performance as the strong willed Robert Caplan obsessed with uncovering all of the facts surrounding the demise of his brother, although his tendency to rapid delivery did throw off his timing and cause him to trip over his lines on a few occasions. Joan Logan made an elegant and eloquent Freda Caplan, whilst Loraine Mudie as Olwen Peel and Muriel McDougall as Miss Mockridge each gave measured character performances. Completing the cast were Scott Jamieson and Sarah Alexander as Gordon and Betty Whitehouse.
A well crafted production of an intelligent and thought provoking play.