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Stars explained: * A production of no real merit
with failings in all areas. ** A production showing evidence of not
enough time or effort, or even talent, and which never breathes any real
life into the piece – or a show lumbered with a terrible script. *** A
good enjoyable show which might have some small flaws but has largely
achieved what it set out to do.**** An excellent show which shows a
great deal of work and stage craft with no noticeable or major
flaws.***** A four star show which has found that extra bit of magic
which lifts theatre to another plane. |
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Creating a nice line in terror
Opening fright at the theatre: Roger Warren (top left) as Edmund, Jonathan Richardson as Dan, Linda Neal as Margaret (Bottom right) and Jean McClelland as Rachel with Gemma Underwood as the vengeful ghost of Christmas past Sarah Jane, played by Gemma Underwood, hovering in the background. The Exorcism Hall Green Little Theatre **** PREPARE to be
scared, prepare to be very scared . . . well, at the very least, a bit
nervy at times by this fine production of Don Taylor's chiller,
The Exorcism. Horror is not the easiest of subjects to stage;
the trick is keeping to the right side of the line between fear and
funny and this production manages it with aplomb. Before we get to the acting the realistic set
from director Mel Hulme deserves a mention as does effective lighting by
Patrick Ryan and the pair were joined by Roy Palmer for some nifty
special effects. The sound, lights and effects set the scene and
encourage shivers down the spine at the appropriate moments which makes
life a lot easier for the cast – not that they needed any help mind. The setting is moved to the 1990s and Ed and
Rachel are a successful couple who are somewhat ostentatiously
displaying the fruits of their, or at least Ed's labour in the form of
an expensively renovated weekend retreat crafted with loving cash from a
once derelict cottage out in the sticks. Spending Christmas day with them are their middle class friends, Dan and Margaret. A few drinks, exchange of presents, convivial
meal, a few more drinks then off to bed; a middle class Christmas
enjoyed all over suburbia – except this isn't suburbia and five bed
luxury executive homes didn't start off life as pauper's hovels steeped
in history and dark secrets. First hint that all is not well comes with the
present opening when the scary music should tell us that this is not all
going to end happily. It's a bit like a TV detective series when you
know the poor soul walking happily down the street might as well be
booking a slab with a view at the ME's office just by listening to what
music is playing. Then we have Rachel and a portend of the doom to
come with the strange episode surrounding her Christmas present – a
Wedgewood Then just in case you were unsure that hidden
mysterious powers were at work (cue scary music again) the electricity
fails along with the phone and central heating leaving the rest of the
play in plummeting temperatures and candlelight – and, if any doubts
still remained about supernatural forces, even two of the candles
refused to work!!!
Even the world outside vanishes into complete
blackness with our festive quartet finding themselves trapped in a world
which exists only within the walls of the strange cottage. With nowhere for our quartet to go and little for
them to do we slowly start to learn about them. Ed, given a hard edge by
Roger Warren, is a successful spin doctor from working class roots who,
far from making his socialist father proud, has made him despair by
turning his back on his working class principles and heritage. Dan is a successful journalist, cynical and a
little bitter about life's iniquities (not so much an occupational
hazard as a common condition among aging hacks I am afraid). He lives in
the present, which avoids “regrets over the past and apprehension over
the future.” His view of socialism is equally cynical: “"I
think we should concentrate on how to be socialists and rich". As lives are laid bare we find that what appeared
to be a long-standing, close friendship between Dan and Ed was more of a
truce, a ceasefire as the sniping between the two increases along with
the tension. Rachel is perhaps the less stable of the two
wives and she really comes alive after the interval when she launches into Ed
claiming he never wanted to buy a country retreat in the first place and
takes pleasure in whipping himself with the vast amounts he spends on it,
demanding the best, biggest, finest and most expensive of everything. It that sounds like hysteria then you ain't seen
nothing yet. Her portrayal of possession in a powerful monologue as the
play reaches its climax is convincing theatre and a fine piece of acting although
perhaps the ghostly figure of Sarah Jane (Gemma Underwood) in the
background could have been lit a little less annoyingly without the
blackout every few seconds. A flickering light would have served the
same purpose with less distraction. The only one who seems this side of stable seems
to be Margaret played in a very down to earth manner by Linda Neale. She
is not convinced by the supernatural and is given a graphic example of
the powers of imagination when she is blindfolded by Dan who shows her
the tricks the mind can play.
She tries to be the voice of reason and never
panics which seems to be a family trait with Dan who looks for a
rational explanation in everything that happens or if there is none,
thinks the next best course of action and the solution to most problems
is to pour a Scotch or two, or three and sit it out till it all blows
over. We have (cue scary music again) a ritual African carving
Christmas present,
wine turning to blood, turkey which makes everyone violently ill, but
for a few minutes, skeletons appearing and just as quickly vanishing,
ghostly harpsichord music all choreographed to lights and music designed
to send a few shivers through the audience in what was a chilly theatre
– whether that was a lack of heating or skillfully induced atmosphere only the
ghosts in the wings would know. There are some political undertones about
privilege, wealth, equality and the downtrodden poor, which is also seen
in other works by the late playwright and director. The play, which
was seen as a socialist ghost story when it first appeared, ends with the stones of the cottage
enacting an ancient curse and finally taking revenge on the rich
property owners. Now that really is negative equity. On opening night perhaps the prompt was heard a
little too often – not her fault, Romayne Instone did her job, in
quickly and audibly as a good prompt should – which no doubt will
concentrate minds for the rest of the run when hopefully she will not be
heard again. To 04-02-12. Roger Clarke The play dates back to 1972 when Taylor wrote and
directed it for the BBC as a series of ghost stories for Christmas and
has its own tragic history. On April 2 in 1975 a production opened in
the West End starring Honor Blackman, Brian Blessed and Mary Ure. The opening night was not a stunning success and
Ure was found dead from an overdose of alcohol and barbiturates the
following day by her husband Robert Shaw. She was 42. |
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blue harpsichord and a piece she plays instinctively yet has never heard
before – cue scary music or what!