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Putting the frighteners on Haunting
Julia Lichfield
Garrick Studio ***** WITHOUT a doubt Haunting Julia by Alan
Ayckbourn is not for the faint hearted. Yes there are times when the
tracks of the ghost train seem a little obvious, leading us on to
another scary skeleton but in this production it's the solid work by
three highly competent performers that is the plays true spirit. This production returns to the Lichfield Garrick
after its successful airing in the Autumn of 2010 before transferring on
May 25th to the Riverside Studios, London. It is its
ability to sway you from a state of the relaxed eavesdropper to actually
checking exactly where the theatre doors are, to make a nervous exit,
which is central to its success. At times the various references to the main
characters, never seen respective families, feels too long and at times
irrelevant. However it is their recall of these respective relationships
that serves to identify each of their innate characters. The play centres on the recollection of an event
that has haunted them all individually for 12 years, the mystery suicide
of a gifted musician Julia Lukin. Set in her former bedroom, now a
visitor centre, the three men pace out the story. There is the father played by Christopher Timothy
who for her short life has lived vicariously through his daughters'
musical prodigy. Timothy captures beautifully a steely faced yet still
grieving man, unable to emotionally face his loss, and now hoping to
find the answers to questions of his fractured relationship with Julia
through the occult.
This is offset by the sceptical balance of the
onetime boyfriend of Julia, Andy. Dominic Hecht produces a
detailed portrait here, effortlessly tip-toeing uneasily between Andy's
doubt and belief in himself and the spirit world. Finally, Richard O'Callaghan arrives, stirring
the pot with his own brand of spongy well meaning deceit, poor
convictions and dusty secrets. O'Callaghan is both slimy and comforting
in equal measures and captures the role of the oddball Physic medium
convincingly well. Haunting Julia was originally written by
Ayckbourn as a one act play and to deliver this slice of brooding
awkward intensity at this level, takes an experienced production team. Andrew Hall's directorship is subtle but
effective in allowing space for the slow reveal of the web of
relationships. The staging is a compact revelation with a variety of
spooky effects punctuating the ebb and flow of the action. Still In the end it is the seasoned performances
of Timothy, O'Callaghan and Hecht who summon the spirit of Julia right
into the room and your imagination, far better than any of the jumpy
theatrical bangs and whooshes. And there a few of those, you have been
warned. Jeff Grant Speaking of bump in the night . . . . *****
PEOPLE love to be scared! And that is guaranteed by Alan Ayckbourn's chilling
play which has returned to the Garrick "by popular demand". It was there last October, and
audiences are again flocking to the theatre to enjoy - or endure - being
frightened by the story of musical prodigy Julia Lukin who never
actually appears on stage.....or does she? The 19-year-old student
apparently took her own life in her cramped accommodation, but 12 years
later her aggressive father, who has turned the room into a shrine, is
determined to find the answer to why it happened. He may be haunted by fear of
some personal responsibility for the tragic death of 'Little Miss
Mozart', so he invites former boyfriend Andy - the last person to see
her alive - to the the premises along with a rather dodgy psychic, in
the hope that the mystery can be resolved. Once again the Garrick Rep
Company have delivered a cracker which has the audience almost
jumping out of their seats with shock on a couple of occasions, so good
are the lighting and sound effects. Christopher Timothy gives a
magnificent performance as Joe, the troubled father with the ghostly
voice of Julia on tape, and Dominic Hecht, playing the ex-boyfriend, skilfully
has you wondering if he might have played some part in the death of the
teenager. Richard O'Callaghan completes
a great cast in the role of Ken the psychic and full marks to set
designer John Brooking. Directed by Andrew Hall,
Haunting Julia has 13 performances at the Garrick before transferring to
London's Riverside Studios. To 14-05-11 Paul Marston
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