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Moody and macabre, these stories invite you to look at your reflection and dare you not to turn away. Summary
Rating
Good
Just A Regular House theatre company have recently celebrated their first anniversary, and with a double bill of spooky stories, We Are Monsters, written by Joseph Ryan-Hughes and Glass written by Connor McCrory, they’re celebrating in style.
Both tales are directed by Zach Wyatt and both have a distinct style that gives the audience pause for thought while never letting the action lag. There is a mood created here, and that mood is dark. It’s uncomfortable. It gives the audience the feeling that they’re the ones on the back foot, never quite sure what’s around the corner – or in the reflection in front of them.
We Are Monsters is a story about two siblings, Caitlyn (Laura Mugford) and Kyle (Ryan-Hughes) who take great delight in dressing up as ‘the drowned children’ (a legend about the nearby lake) and scaring campers. They take great delight in this game, that is, until Wesley (Moses Alexander) arrives and gives them an insight into the true stories that haunt the area – but then, the brother and sister have a story of their own.
Fast-paced and witty, We Are Monsters starts as a comedy and turns into a macabre and twisting story of murder and obsession; there was a definite shift in the tone and direction, and the audience felt it. The laughter, which had been pretty much constant, quickly stopped.
Glass is a different beast altogether. This is the story of Brody Jenkins who, after coming last in his work’s Halloween party fancy dress competition, retreats to his office on the ninth floor to try to stave off a panic attack. The phone rings, and it’s a stranger who’s sitting on the train that’s broken down outside Brody’s window. He needs to talk to someone, and Brody’s there to listen. Although in the end, it’s Brody’s own horror story that comes to light.
Glass is a one-man show, with Connor McCrory playing both Brody and Timothy, the man on the train (via a pre-recorded voiceover). Playing against himself, McCrory does a fantastic job of distinguishing between the two characters, and the way the power and control of the situation flip flops between them is a nice touch.
The two short plays worked well as a pair, with themes of reflection and ghosts from the past coming back to haunt the present (or, perhaps, never really going away) being prevalent. With excellent immersive sound design by McCrory, the somewhat spooky setting of Barons Court Theatre is the ideal place to enjoy some shocks and scares on a dark and stormy night.
Written by: Joseph Ryan-Hughes and Connor McCrory
Directed by: Zach Wyatt
Produced by: Just A Regular House
