Stage Review THE CROFT at DerbyTheatre
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| Caroline Harker as Suzanne and Lucy Doyle as Laura in The Croft - A stage play by The Original Theatre Company |
⭐⭐⭐
The croft welcomes Laura back; back to what is her family-owned holiday home in the Scottish Highlands. This time she brings her partner, Suzanne with her for a get-away-from-it-all break; or so Laura thinks. On arrival, she immediately feels full-on enthusiastic to be there, while Suzanne has her reservations.
It’s an old dwelling place with history attached, and as the scenes play out, we get to know three other female inhabitants from long past and near present and through all points of view (first, second and third person).
A high level of foreshadowing in the theatrics are deployed., this twinned with a certain ambiguousness of action and dialogue, are all designed to engage audience curiosity.
Therefore, from the start it’s all a bit creepy, and one wonders immediately how far is this play going to properly spook. Therefore, it is intriguing, and remains intriguing until the end; this is the main positive about it.
As a screenplay this could work very well for a filmmaker, but as a stage play however, it is not a great fit. Despite all the theatrical related expertise attached to this - in the story building, the character building, the tension building - even with that level of intrigue withstanding throughout - it is a little repetitive and slow unfortunately, and the action in scenes irritates at times.
It seems that perhaps, Ali Milles had a number of ideas for a story and threw them all in the mix. The script includes: Cancer, Gay Love, Mental Health, tangled relationships; these are all subjects within. Then, on top of all of that, there’s an old witchy tale shadowing the present-day happenings.
Based on a true story; publicity states. Reviewer wonders where any truth could lie in this, and asks: Is one supposed to be empathic for some/or all characters? Are characters from the different timeframes connected? Are some characters evil, possessed, aggressive, narcissistic? Or should they be viewed as persecuted, misunderstood individuals? What is the emotional draw to the croft for the three women? Why is it none of them want to leave it?
Therefore, from the start it’s all a bit creepy, and one wonders immediately how far is this play going to properly spook. Therefore, it is intriguing, and remains intriguing until the end; this is the main positive about it.
As a screenplay this could work very well for a filmmaker, but as a stage play however, it is not a great fit. Despite all the theatrical related expertise attached to this - in the story building, the character building, the tension building - even with that level of intrigue withstanding throughout - it is a little repetitive and slow unfortunately, and the action in scenes irritates at times.
It seems that perhaps, Ali Milles had a number of ideas for a story and threw them all in the mix. The script includes: Cancer, Gay Love, Mental Health, tangled relationships; these are all subjects within. Then, on top of all of that, there’s an old witchy tale shadowing the present-day happenings.
Based on a true story; publicity states. Reviewer wonders where any truth could lie in this, and asks: Is one supposed to be empathic for some/or all characters? Are characters from the different timeframes connected? Are some characters evil, possessed, aggressive, narcissistic? Or should they be viewed as persecuted, misunderstood individuals? What is the emotional draw to the croft for the three women? Why is it none of them want to leave it?
It is all a bit vague and the storylines are not that sophisticated. This play can leave one with more questions than answers; but maybe that is the intention.
A professional cast of five. Reviewer names Caroline Harker (Suzanne/Ruth) and Drew Cain (David/Alec) for best performances.
The many props are deliberately placed, and their functions are well designed. And, if you do end up seeing this touring show in your city or town, you will witness that the designers and makers have done a fantastic job with the set design of the inside and roofspace of a renovated croft building (crofts are old agricultural buildings in Scotland, many have been converted into homes).
A professional cast of five. Reviewer names Caroline Harker (Suzanne/Ruth) and Drew Cain (David/Alec) for best performances.
The many props are deliberately placed, and their functions are well designed. And, if you do end up seeing this touring show in your city or town, you will witness that the designers and makers have done a fantastic job with the set design of the inside and roofspace of a renovated croft building (crofts are old agricultural buildings in Scotland, many have been converted into homes).
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| Pictured - Lucy Doyle playing Aileen and Gwen Taylor as Enid in The Croft |
It will be interesting to see how this play is both generally and critically received, and after this National Tour 2020 by The Original Theatre Company and the producers Stage One, to see if any others will be up for the challenges in taking The Croft to stage in the future.
**ENDS**
Theatre critic Debra Hall attended the Press Night showing of The Croft at Derby Theatre (January 2020)
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