REVIEW
✭✭✭☆☆ 3/5
The Croft
Palace Theatres, Westcliff on Sea
24th to 29th February 2020
✭✭✭☆☆ 3/5
The Croft
Palace Theatres, Westcliff on Sea
24th to 29th February 2020
Spooky goings on in the Scottish Highlands
If you like a supernatural, time slip thriller, then come to the Palace Theatre to see The Croft which takes place, as the title suggests, inside a Scottish croft. In this bold and haunting new play the present interweaves with the past as ancient events surface and a terrifying truth lurking in the Croft is revealed.
Full on Laura (Lucy Doyle), arrives at her family’s Croft for a romantic weekend with her older lover Suzanne (Caroline Harker). Both are looking for an escape from their lives. Lucy to get over her mother’s death, and Suzanne needing time out from her ongoing divorce, and teenage children.
The weekend getaway takes an unexpected turn, as cut off from the modern world Laura and Suzanne find themselves drawn into the lives that passed before them in the building. The relationship between the lovers is very intense. Lucy Doyle plays her part with a restless energy that becomes somewhat irritating as she flounces around in and out of doorways. All the time demanding that her lover forgets about her family, and only concerns herself with their relationship. Meanwhile, Caroline’s character is more sympathetic, but they seem an unlikely pairing, as they spend most of the time arguing. In fact, this is a play about arguing, the cast argue in the past and they argue in the present.
There was a buzz around the audience as the play started, because it was obvious that many people had come to see it because of Gwen Taylor. She is familiar from her TV appearances in A Bit of a Do and Duty Free among others and is more or less a National Treasure. When she appeared, she was unrecognisable as Enid, a crofter from the 1800s who makes a powerful presence, haunting the stage as the play goes back in time.
Full on Laura (Lucy Doyle), arrives at her family’s Croft for a romantic weekend with her older lover Suzanne (Caroline Harker). Both are looking for an escape from their lives. Lucy to get over her mother’s death, and Suzanne needing time out from her ongoing divorce, and teenage children.
The weekend getaway takes an unexpected turn, as cut off from the modern world Laura and Suzanne find themselves drawn into the lives that passed before them in the building. The relationship between the lovers is very intense. Lucy Doyle plays her part with a restless energy that becomes somewhat irritating as she flounces around in and out of doorways. All the time demanding that her lover forgets about her family, and only concerns herself with their relationship. Meanwhile, Caroline’s character is more sympathetic, but they seem an unlikely pairing, as they spend most of the time arguing. In fact, this is a play about arguing, the cast argue in the past and they argue in the present.
There was a buzz around the audience as the play started, because it was obvious that many people had come to see it because of Gwen Taylor. She is familiar from her TV appearances in A Bit of a Do and Duty Free among others and is more or less a National Treasure. When she appeared, she was unrecognisable as Enid, a crofter from the 1800s who makes a powerful presence, haunting the stage as the play goes back in time.
As the cast morph into people from the past, the story becomes somewhat confusing; actors walk out of the door as one person and return as another. As a result there were some very puzzled faces around. Caroline Harker changes her character on-stage between Laura’s dying mother and Laura’s lover. Lucy goes back and forth as the modern Laura and Eilene from the Scottish croft, and Drew is Eilene’s lover from the 1800s and the dead mother’s lover in the present. All in all the women played their parts very effectively, but Drew Cain as David/Alec was very quiet and with the Scottish accent it was difficult to understand what he was saying.
The denouement, when it came, happened in the past and didn’t quite gel. It’s as though Ali Milles, in her debut play felt that she needed to beef it up with some horror. At the end there were comments from some of the audience that there should have been another act to round things off.
Apparently it is based on a true story, directed by Philip Franks, it is a new, modern play, but has a strange old fashioned feel about it and it is very slow. However, there are some excellent creepy effects, and very effective lighting. Designed by Chris Davey, the striated Scottish sky lights up the stage creating a real sense of the low light of the Scottish Highlands.
I am not sure why there is an age guidance of 14+ for the production, apart from the obligatory four letter words that have to be used in modern plays nowadays. However, it is an interesting watch.
Review Jacquee Storozynski-Toll
The denouement, when it came, happened in the past and didn’t quite gel. It’s as though Ali Milles, in her debut play felt that she needed to beef it up with some horror. At the end there were comments from some of the audience that there should have been another act to round things off.
Apparently it is based on a true story, directed by Philip Franks, it is a new, modern play, but has a strange old fashioned feel about it and it is very slow. However, there are some excellent creepy effects, and very effective lighting. Designed by Chris Davey, the striated Scottish sky lights up the stage creating a real sense of the low light of the Scottish Highlands.
I am not sure why there is an age guidance of 14+ for the production, apart from the obligatory four letter words that have to be used in modern plays nowadays. However, it is an interesting watch.
Review Jacquee Storozynski-Toll
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The play continues at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff 25 Feb to 29 Feb at 8pm- Mat: Thurs and Sat 2.30pm.
Box Office 01702 351135 Tickets Price Band A * £28.00 - £30.00 Restricted View Price Band A * £28.00 - £30.00 Price Band B * £26.00 - £28.00 Restricted View Price Band B * £26.00 - £28.00 Price Band C * £21.00 - £23.00 Restricted View Price Band C * £21.00 - £23.00 https://southendtheatres.org.uk/Online/tickets-the-croft-southend-2020 http://www.originaltheatre.com/portfolio-item/the-croft/ |
Tour Continues:-
11 – 14 March Cambridge Arts Theatre www.cambridgeartstheatre.com 16 – 21 March Ashcroft Playhouse, Fairfield Halls, Croydon www.fairfield.co.uk/whats-on/the-croft/ 24 – 28 March Theatr Clwyd, Mold www.theatrclwyd.com/en/whats-on/the-croft/ 31 March – 4 April Richmond Theatre www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-croft/richmond-theatre/ 6 – 11 April Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk 15 – 18 April Belgrade Theatre, Coventry www.belgrade.co.uk/event/the-croft-by-ali-miles/ |