Review: Viy, Golden Goose Theatre

It must be the season of the witch, and Homa Brut (Ross Barbour) finds that he has killed one, in Angelina Voznesenskaia’s Viy, based on Nikolai Gogol’s novella. Pannochka (Rianne Snape) is the daughter of Cossack chief Sotnik (Callum McGregor), who summons Homa to pray for his daughter’s soul for three nights, and Homa quickly finds himself at odds with the world around him. With the ensemble rounded out by Olivia Merritt and Morgan Avery, something wicked this way comes in 1835 Kyiv.

On entering the theatre, the audience is immediately immersed in a folk tale, with the set dressed minimally, but to maximum effect due to Daria Gorbonosova’s breathtaking design. Paint, dirt, grass, and wheat are scattered through the theatre, defining the stage, and with vines growing onto the seats (not to mention the cloth-covered coffin waiting to be uncovered): we’re dragged further into the story.

With Karim Shohdy’s composition playing softly over the speakers and warm red lighting shining from above, the atmosphere is remarkable and a real triumph. The costume design also excels, with pieces effectively becoming multi-use as much of the cast play multiple characters, including featuring the creative design of a delightfully unique and sinister creature during the play’s climax.

The acting across the board is strong, deeply physical, and invested in storytelling through movement. Barbour particularly stands out, shifting rapidly between tightly wound tension, with his hands visibly shaking, and boisterous, bold physicality. The wider cast also has time to shine, with McGregor easily commanding the stage as a hypnotic presence, while Avery’s swift physicality gives them a fae-like quality as they flit across the stage.

The show is at its best when innovating in its adaptation of the source material, utilising cultural dance, inventive lighting, and uniquely unsettling moments between actors that will bring a smile to horror fans’ faces. Voznesenskaia’s direction skilfully develops tension, pulling the audience and actors deeper into the madness. The script, unfortunately, struggles to keep pace with this direction and at times feels weighed down by the weight of its source material, particularly in the first half.

The play’s commitment to recreating the short story in all its intricacies occasionally makes it difficult to follow, with naming conventions and tension-breaking moments that lend themselves better to literature than theatre. The themes also feel muddled at times, not reinterpreted through the writer’s own perspective as much as faithfully recreated in a way that does not always land as powerfully as it could. With a few revisions and a clearer vision of the story the play wants to tell, rather than a like-for-like recreation of the short story, there’s something very special waiting to be uncovered.

This is an ambitious production and while the storytelling occasionally falters, its bold direction and strong performances make it well worth experiencing for any horror fan who loves the things that go bump in the night.

Written by Angelina Voznesenskaia, after Nikolai Gogol
Directed by Angelina Voznesenskaia
Produced by Final Run Company
Assistant director: Karim Shohdy
Production manager: Jay Uthayakumar
Set Design by Daria Gorbonosova
Composed by Karim Shohdy

Viy plays at the Golden Goose Theatre until Saturday 21 February.