The London Horror Festival is back for a 7th terrifying year to thrill and chill audiences for 3 jam packed weeks this Halloween season. The UK’s original and largest festival of live horror performance returns to the Old Red Lion Theatre following the great success of 2016.
With official sponsorship from Hobgoblin, ‘the unofficial beer of Halloween’, and horror artist Jessica F. Holt, this annual celebration of the horror genre is going strong and 2017 is their biggest line-up yet with an eclectic programme of 23 different shows on offer.
The London Horror Festival works to promote new and innovative work in the arts, support London fringe theatre and is dedicated to providing a platform for artists and companies working in the horror genre. This year promises a mix of theatre, puppetry, cabaret, spoken word, body horror, clowning and comedy, featuring satanic cults, mummies, zombies, ghosts, vampires and the bodies of Frankenstein!
The festival kicks off with this year’s playwriting competition winner staged by the Old Red Lion Theatre’s very own Artistic Director Clive Judd, including special prizes from sponsor Hobgoblin, followed by horror panel quiz show ‘What’s the Bloody Question?’ presented by UK Horror Scene’s Tony Sands and the London Horror Society.
Shows to look forward to include 5 star horror comedy ‘Curse of the Mummy’ from Last Chance Saloon, fresh from their Edinburgh triumph, fellow 5 star fringe successes ‘The Twins Macabre’, The Underground Clown Club returning with the 5 star ‘Knock Knock’ followed by their new show ‘Who’s There?’, and reworkings of classic tales including a comic adaptation H.P. Lovecraft’s ‘The Shadow Over Innsmouth’ by Hidden Basement Productions and a gender-switched version of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven’ by critically-acclaimed Evcol Entertainment.
For something different after dark, stay up late for an exclusive midnight performance of ‘Felix Le Freak’s Shockbuster Video’ presented by the folks behind the wildly popular PopHorror cabaret club nights, then party the night away with their very own DJ until 3am.
Bursting with heaps of emerging talent, award-winning creatives and unique live performances – be sure you don’t miss one of hottest events of Halloween!
Thirty years since its first performance, Covent Garden Productions brings Talk Radio to the Old Red Lion, a play about free speech and how we misuse it. Fictional shock-jock Barry Champlain invites his listeners to call in and say their piece on any topic they like, from the personal, political to the perils of garbage disposal, for which he in turn lambasts them with caustic wit. On the eve of national syndication, Champlain starts to lose control live on air.
I want to love this production. There is a lot to like. Matthew Jure’s performance is masterful. His energy and mania as Barry starts to unravel on air is hypnotic. The rest of the cast are equally fantastic, particularly Ceallach Spellman who storms on as the irrepressible Kent. The set design is incredible, the detail is immaculate and the claustrophobia it creates is palpable. Turner’s direction is slick, keeping the show moving at break neck speed. The pace never slows as the constant stream of voices bombard Champlain, trapped in his box. This has all the elements of a great show.
Unfortunately, it lacks heart. While the lack of connection with the callers may be deliberate, the relationships in the room feel equally hollow. They all exist in isolation, which undermines Barry’s contempt for his callers and robs the play of any emotional impact. The most obvious casualty of this is Molly McNerney’s Linda, whose last minute attempt to reach out to Barry feels unfounded. She becomes just another caller for Barry to abuse and what should be poignant falls flat.
There are also a couple of inconsistencies which just feel clumsy – a particular moment sticks out when an unpleasant delivery is made to the station, creating real tension – which then gets completely thrown away when said delivery is left to litter the DJ booth.
There is no question that Eric Bogosian’s script still has relevance today, with free speech being so widely misused across social media. Questions about what it is we choose to say and who it is we choose to listen to feel even more pertinent in the age of Twitter. But while enjoyable, this show doesn’t hit home enough to be provocative.
Reviewed for thespyinthestalls.com
Photography by Cameron Harle
TALK RADIO
is at The Old Red Lion Theatre until 23rd September
