Halloween lends itself to the exploration of the paranormal, ‘phenomena beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding’. Exploring the paranormal within their latest production Spirit Box, Sarah Gain Productions present a claustrophobic tale of isolation, loss and state of mind.
We follow the recently bereaved Master Redlaw make sense of his current situation, having returned back to the family home after the loss of his father. It very quickly emerges that all is not as it seems, the birds up above signalling that something isn’t quite right, family secrets starting to unravel, their family home a spirit box containing the remnants of a very haunted past.
George Rennie writes a complex tale, one ambitious in its exploration of the spirit world – the old world forever a ghostly imprint binding Master Redlaw to a past life. Ghost hunter Dara Faulks, a symbol of the present day acting as a medium to connect both past and present. Lisa Millar directs a fascinating show drawing on both the psychological and spiritual realms, unpredictable possessions taking place throughout the show, you’re never quite sure of who is who, and when the past will show up uninvited, which is a great premise – these scenes windows to a haunting past. Actors Elliot Cable as Master Redlaw and Grace Alexander Scott coping with the mammoth task of multi-rolling brilliantly, both inhabiting this dark, shadowy, complex world. The Pleasance’s intimate black box staging an apt symbol of the show’s main theme of containment, boxes dotted around the space further laying on this concept, giving the show its mysterious aesthetic. The duo drawing out a world of troubled souls, creating further intrigue.
Review written by Lucy Basaba.
Spirit Box was shown on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st October 2021 at The Pleasance as part of this year’s London Horror Festival. To find out more about the production, visit here…
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