Chuma Emembolu Archives - Page 3 of 5

Edred, the Vampyre

Old Red Lion Theatre

Reviewed – 29th October 2019

★★★½

“a deliciously gothic tale with a wonderfully entertaining main character”

Both the set design and the venue for Edred, the Vampyre could not be more fitting to its subject matter – from the church-like red-draped seating to the stark black and white tiles of the stage and its crimson curtains that are gleefully ripped aside by our protagonist during the opening scene. This is a production that certainly doesn’t shy away from spectacle. It skilfully melds humour and drama, drawing the audience in with a few wry jokes about Google and Wikipedia and then drip-feeding them more and more horror as the show goes on.

Entering the church serving as our eponymous vampire’s dusty abode are gap-year travellers Elizabeth (Zari Lewis) and Jacques (James Hoyles). Filled with a panicked mixture of fear and scepticism, they are surprised to find a vampire that debunks a life of coffins and avoiding the sunlight and instead adopts the debonair paternalism of a camp 18th century uncle as he attempts to explain his life and history. Lewis’ Elizabeth is most drawn to Edred, and she plays the role with a deft mix of adoration, terror, and uncertainty. Comparatively, Hoyles’ character is underused and given less emotional range, but successfully carries off many of the jokes of the first half, furiously swearing at Edred in several entertaining sequences.

The play itself is aptly named, for although it is the other characters that have their lives and emotions rent asunder during the hour-long running time, Edred (Martin Prest) still remains the star – glittering with inimitable flamboyance. His movements and musings are joyful and enchanting to watch, as he sets about helping the duo uncover their own mysterious troubles and night terrors through exploring his thousand-year past.

The stage is set and from there the action unfolds, drawing on every available trope in the gothic arsenal, whether it is the darkness within us all, the dangerous power of sexuality, or familial and historical legacies. Writer David Pinner has filled Edred’s chronicle of historical happenstances with many familiar cultural references, and a large nod to perhaps the original godfather of gothic: William Shakespeare and his blood-filled Macbeth. The directing (Anthony Shrubsall), along with Prest’s excellent lively performance, ensures that there is never a quiet moment and that each historical vignette is delivered with gusto.

The play’s descent into a purer horror and its sudden end may not chime well with all viewers – there is no neat tying up of loose ends, or gentle sweeping character arcs – but for a genre founded on the bedrock of surprise and, above all, drama, it serves the play fittingly. Much like the character of Edred, the play is more about the journey than the end result. Retrospectively, it is perhaps too easy to question why certain storylines were teased at, but the overall ominous atmosphere – carried off with ease by a marriage of set design (Alys Whitehead) and lighting and sound (Chuma Emembolu) – makes for a deliciously gothic tale with a wonderfully entertaining main character.

Reviewed by Vicky Richards

Edred, the Vampyre

Old Red Lion Theatre until 2nd November as part of London Horror Festival 2019

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Voices From Home | ★★★½ | November 2018

Anomaly | ★★★★ | January 2019

In Search Of Applause | ★★ | February 2019

Circa | ★★★★ | March 2019

Goodnight Mr Spindrift | ★★ | April 2019

Little Potatoes | ★★★ | April 2019

The Noises | ★★★★ | April 2019

Flinch | ★★★ | May 2019

The Knot | ★★★★ | June 2019

Last Orders | ★★★ | October 2019

Click here to see our most recent reviews

Blue Tights, Red Knickers and an ‘S’ on her Vest

Lion and Unicorn Theatre

Reviewed – 14th August 2019

★★★

“the tone is charmingly undramatic, somewhere between a ‘my rubbish life’ comic monologue and self-deprecating lifestyle piece in a colour supplement”

Microaggressions at work, the indignities of commuting, the strain on relationships caused by overwork… these experiences speak to millions. In this production, they speak directly to Jenna, alone on stage while others in her life are represented by disembodied voices. It’s an elegant way to portray social anxiety as a world inside the head that alienates even those who try to help. The homemade superwoman costume Jenna wears signals her as the people pleaser, taking on piles of paperwork from idle colleagues while working late to fulfil her own stressful function as a legal representative.

This everyday story is low key and familiar, something of an attractive change for a Camden Fringe show. A victim of mildly disappointing annual reviews and far from horrific workplace bullying incidents, Jenna bemoans the lack of pastoral care from the firm but also dreads the camping break they organise as a bonding exercise. She resents the loss of support from best friend David as he moves away but is wary nevertheless when he tries to stay in touch, and although she groans at her mother’s calls, it’s her mother who worries enough to pay for her endless therapy sessions.

It’s an interesting conundrum, figuring out how to respond sympathetically to someone so relatively fortunate without falling into the same trap as her work colleagues. It’s easy for the insensitive or inexperienced to dismiss depression and anxiety disorders with ‘get a grip’ and ‘cheer up’, yet it’s not clear from Jenna’s description that she is suffering from either of these serious mental health problems, as opposed to the stress of working in an unhealthy culture.

Thematic Theatre is co-founded by the play’s writer and main performer, Laura Shoebottom, along with Liam Ashmead, who both directs the piece and voices the role of David. Created expressly to stage productions with important themes, they tackle here the subject of mental health, but in their own misdiagnosis of anxiety as something that can be cured by changing jobs or being more assertive – in other words, by getting a grip – they threaten to undermine their message and mission should anyone examine them too closely.

However, the tone is charmingly undramatic, somewhere between a ‘my rubbish life’ comic monologue and self-deprecating lifestyle piece in a colour supplement. Laura Shoebottom writes and plays the central character with a drily knowing quality, while her self-confident presence is given excellent technical support from Chuma Emembolu, Daniel Foggo and Phil Matejtschuk in the sound design and lighting departments. For a city-living audience the time passes pleasantly, affirming that their bad work experiences are common and that if you do occasionally feel isolated, you’re not alone.

Old Red Lion Theatre

Reviewed – 29th October 2019

★★★½

“a deliciously gothic tale with a wonderfully entertaining main character”

Reviewed by Vicky Richards

Edred, the Vampyre

Old Red Lion Theatre until 2nd November as part of London Horror Festival 2019

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Lion and Unicorn Theatre

Reviewed – 14th August 2019

★★★

“the tone is charmingly undramatic, somewhere between a ‘my rubbish life’ comic monologue and self-deprecating lifestyle piece in a colour supplement”

Reviewed by Dominic Gettins

Photography courtesy Thematic Theatre

Blue Tights, Red Knickers and an ‘S’ on her Vest

Lion and Unicorn Theatre until 16th August as part of Camden Fringe 2019

Previously reviewed at this venue: