As Ye Sow - Theatre Delicatessen's Marylebone Gardens
As Ye Sow is the latest production by Theatre of the Damned, the creators of the London Horror Festival and the impressive Revenge of the Grand Guignol.
Utilising just one basic set, the show tells the story of Clifford, a slightly dazed and confused pensioner who doesn’t quite seem to have a grip on reality. Is he imagining things or is he haunted by demons from his past? Until the final scene we are left as confused and as uncertain as he is.
The play excels in juxtaposing the supernatural elements with the grim day to day life of living in sheltered accommodation. Which is more horrific? The ghosts of misdeeds past, or the care and support given to a man past his prime in life?
The clues to the whole story are drip fed to us throughout the show. Sometimes as throwaway comments although a couple of times it felt that important plot points were being signposted lest we miss them! Beyond the underlying narrative were a series of startle effects that had many of the audience jumping along with the old man!
This is another place where the show excels. In such a small intimate venue the scares are cleverly structured and after pulling everyone forward into the story the producers suddenly throw in something completely unexpected. The simple set hides a number of effects that usually left the audience screaming.
Jeffrey Mayhew’s portrayal of a man descending further into paranoia is powerful and believable while the remaining actors brought life their dual roles as carers and the nightmare visions that stalk the old man. Are these people implicated and what do they know about the past?
Producing horror in a theatrical environment must be very difficult as the director doesn’t have the luxury of close cuts, sharp edits and effects to crate a quick startle scare. Therefore the fact that this show managed to make most of the audience scream or yelp in one go says a lot for it!
The show moves to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for most of August and is worth checking out if you’re in the area. It is a clever mix of Hitchcock style pacing with horror movie style scares which makes it a perfect late night show for the festival.
As Ye Sow runs everyday of the Edinburgh Fringe festival (except August13th). Further details of this and other Theater of The Damned productions can be found at the main web site.
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