There actually aren’t sufficient ghost tales on stage. It’s one thing that all the time surprises me contemplating there appears to be an urge for food for them, as proved by the total home tonight at Richmond Theatre for When Darkness Falls. It definitely gives a traditional ghost story – 4 of them actually, though as you’d suspect, there’s a connection between all. The speaker (Thomas Dennis) has been invited by John (Tony Timberlake) to be a visitor on the brand-new Guernsey Historical Society’s podcast. As John himself states in his podcast introduction, ghost tales could appear an odd selection for a…
Rating
Good
A enjoyable and properly delivered ghost story that comes with an attention-grabbing twist in its tail, permitting for a further layer to the post-show conversations.
There actually aren’t sufficient ghost tales on stage. It’s one thing that all the time surprises me contemplating there appears to be an urge for food for them, as proved by the total home tonight at Richmond Theatre for When Darkness Falls. It definitely gives a traditional ghost story – 4 of them actually, though as you’d suspect, there’s a connection between all.
The speaker (Thomas Dennis) has been invited by John (Tony Timberlake) to be a visitor on the brand-new Guernsey Historical Society’s podcast. As John himself states in his podcast introduction, ghost tales could appear an odd selection for a historic society, however then once more possibly not so odd, as a result of don’t all good ghost tales have a reference to the previous?
The podcast as a framing machine works properly in giving a cause for the tales to be informed, nevertheless it additionally threatens to derail the play early on. Because podcasts are a static affair, for a while it’s simply folks sitting and speaking. Whilst Paul Morrissey’s directing does permit for each actors to go away their seats and transfer across the spacious set, the primary half feels at occasions as if an excessive amount of is described right into a microphone moderately than witnessed. Things enhance after the interval, the podcast recording nearly seemingly forgotten. Instead, as The Speaker tells his closing tales the pair rework into the characters inside them, permitting for a way more visible deal with. And as won’t come as a shock, the fourth story properly delivers a climactic conclusion because the true id of The Speaker is revealed. Except this isn’t the ultimate twist, so giving this a moderately attention-grabbing closing debating level. It provides one other layer for consideration.
As you’d count on, there are many flickering lights and eerie background sound to ratchet up the stress, and while a sudden thunder clap timed excellent is a straightforward (and arguably lazy) option to trigger a leap, generally these are all that’s wanted. Some further easy staging results permit for simply that little further pressure to develop amongst the viewers.
But finally all good ghost tales depend upon their storyteller, and Dennis’ supply right here is absolute perfection. He is at one second excitable, wanting to speak, while the following he’s elusive, clearly not fairly able to reveal all the pieces. It’s clear there may be extra to him than we’re first led to imagine. Timberlake’s John although leaves me unsure. His fierce bulletins of being a non-believer appear at odds along with his first-half behaviour. He goes from non-believer to transfixed and fearful, then again once more, with the outcome that his character is considerably complicated to know. Maybe it’s intentional – and are available the tip there are causes to suspect this – nevertheless it makes for an imbalanced look ahead to half the play and feels contradictory to the story’s calls for for his character at these factors.
What makes When Darkness Fall that bit extra pleasant are some high quality moments of debate inside the script. The truth John is a historian permits for argument about historical past merely being “a set of lies agreed upon”, questioning why ghost tales ought to be handled any in a different way. As The Speaker factors out, how are you going to know historical past actually occurred, as very similar to the tales he’s telling it’s simply tales handed down via the generations?
When Darkness Falls has sufficient to please these of us who lament the dearth of fine ghost tales on stage. The pressure maybe doesn’t construct as a lot as it’d, however the closing payoff, as John’s eyes are opened to a moderately attention-grabbing realisation, makes for a intelligent twist that leaves lots to ponder concerning the human thoughts.
Written by: Paul Morrissey and James Milton
Directed by: Paul Morrissey
Set design by: Justin Williams
Lighting design by: Bethany Gupwell
Sound design by: Ollie Durrant
When Darkness Falls excursions the UK till 29 April 2023. Further data with dates and areas will be discovered on the present’s web site right here.