The Moor

Old Red Lion Theatre

Reviewed – 8th February 2018

★★★★

“McAusland is perfect … her terror and confusion effortlessly convincing”

Catherine Lucie’s The Moor is an eerie, atmospheric piece of drama which is perfectly suited to its venue at the Old Red Lion Theatre. Directed by Blythe Stewart, it has only a three person cast, but nevertheless is highly engaging and exciting throughout.

The story follows Bronagh, played by the wonderful Jill McAusland, as she and her husband Graeme (Oliver Britten) attempt to piece together the events of one drunken night. A man has gone missing, and they are found asking themselves if they could have had anything to do with it. The Moor retains its air of mystery throughout, drip feeding the audience information until we are finally left to decide the events of that night ourselves. It’s well thought out, and expertly executed.

Jill McAusland is perfect for the role of Bronagh, her terror and confusion effortlessly convincing. Whilst there were some questionable moments of direction – at one point Bronagh dramatically falls to the floor, a moment which isn’t at all in keeping with her character – McAusland manages to make Bronagh a complicated and believable character.

Oliver Britten and Jonny Magnati work perfectly in their roles at Graeme and Pat. Britten’s fits of rage are scarily real and terrifying, especially in such an intimate venue. Magnati makes the most of the somewhat one-dimensional role of Pat, a policeman investigating the crime.

Holly Pigott’s set is innovative, making the most of the tiny stage. The back of the stage is lined with rotating, opaque boards, which are half painted with the backdrop of the moor. The actors weave in and out of the boards, rotating them as they go, and this creates an eerie, tense atmosphere as characters can show up from anywhere. The use of sound and music (designed and composed by Anna Clock) goes on to compliment this. The Moor is highly intense, and even with its running time of 90 minutes with no interval, it doesn’t fail to keep the audience’s attention at any point.

The Moor is definitely worth seeing. Catherine Lucie’s script is thrilling, and the cast, set and sound come together to create a truly accomplished piece of theatre, and whilst there are some minor creases to iron out, the show itself is captivating and the mystery it presents will keep you wondering for hours after you have left the theatre.

Reviewed by Charlotte Cox

Photography by The Other Richard

The Moor

Old Red Lion Theatre until 3rd March

Click here to see more of our latest reviews on thespyinthestalls.com

★★★½

“I love cornflakes and carpet and it certainly matched the narrative”

Arriving at The Old Red Lion I knew little of the two stories on the bill other than a brief description of each central character; an isolated writer and an insomniac.

The stage was littered with papers, a “full” sleeping bag, a radio and cups of wine. Bulbs hung from the rig and two men stood upstage wearing skull masks, one with his trousers round his ankles. A fun image, one that initially led me to think I was in for a night of sketch comedy.

The first of the tales, “Every Breath You Take”, is predominantly a one woman show, a tough ask for any actor, particularly with the range that horror demands you display. Ruby Sevink-Johnston seemed to grow more comfortable with her character Sam, as her discomfort grew, so I’ll be interested to see those establishing movements of the piece really Hammer-horrored home with further direction and development.

The second offering to the cult (sorry, audience) was “The Sandman”. Overall my preferred of the two, if simply because the premise was one I haven’t experienced before. As the two actors (Cuthbert and Emma Whitworth) enrich the well-crafted story with brilliant vocal imagery, artefacts are passed round the audience in the dark. I love cornflakes and carpet and it certainly matched the narrative, but I wanted more touchy things. It was a sensory experience to an extent, but moving forward I hope they can increase the tangible aids, and saliently get them to every audience member as close to the verbal reference as possible.

What would help in both plays, is for a clear decision on what genres the shows wish to be or straddle. As a fan of comedy and horror comedy, I think the comedy element could be explored further as there are some gems in there already.

Would I be interested in seeing this work progressed – yes. If the intent is a “jump scare”, there is work to be done. Overall, I thought the structure of the night was strong. Having hosts was an excellent feature, and I am keen to see more from Danse Macabre as they find their niche.

An early outing with some strong elements, and a team willing to work hard to develop, so keep your eyes open … unless they tell you to keep them closed.

Reviewed by Joe Cullen

Tag Archives: Old Red Lion Theatre

The Moor – 4 Stars

The Moor

Old Red Lion Theatre

Reviewed – 8th February 2018

★★★★

“McAusland is perfect … her terror and confusion effortlessly convincing”

Catherine Lucie’s The Moor is an eerie, atmospheric piece of drama which is perfectly suited to its venue at the Old Red Lion Theatre. Directed by Blythe Stewart, it has only a three person cast, but nevertheless is highly engaging and exciting throughout.

Oliver Britten and Jonny Magnati work perfectly in their roles at Graeme and Pat. Britten’s fits of rage are scarily real and terrifying, especially in such an intimate venue. Magnati makes the most of the somewhat one-dimensional role of Pat, a policeman investigating the crime.

Reviewed by Charlotte Cox

Photography by The Other Richard

The Moor

Old Red Lion Theatre until 3rd March

Click here to see more of our latest reviews on thespyinthestalls.com

Nightmares in Progress – 3.5 Stars

Nightmares in Progress

Old Red Lion Theatre

Reviewed – 29th January 2018

★★★½

“I love cornflakes and carpet and it certainly matched the narrative”

Arriving at The Old Red Lion I knew little of the two stories on the bill other than a brief description of each central character; an isolated writer and an insomniac.

The stage was littered with papers, a “full” sleeping bag, a radio and cups of wine. Bulbs hung from the rig and two men stood upstage wearing skull masks, one with his trousers round his ankles. A fun image, one that initially led me to think I was in for a night of sketch comedy.

What would help in both plays, is for a clear decision on what genres the shows wish to be or straddle. As a fan of comedy and horror comedy, I think the comedy element could be explored further as there are some gems in there already.

Would I be interested in seeing this work progressed – yes. If the intent is a “jump scare”, there is work to be done. Overall, I thought the structure of the night was strong. Having hosts was an excellent feature, and I am keen to see more from Danse Macabre as they find their niche.

An early outing with some strong elements, and a team willing to work hard to develop, so keep your eyes open … unless they tell you to keep them closed.

Reviewed by Joe Cullen

Nightmares in Progress

Old Red Lion Theatre

Click here to see more of our latest reviews on thespyinthestalls.com