An intriguing and tense play that doesn't give up all its secretsRating
Good!
In a lighthouse on a small island just off the Angus coast in the North Sea, two old hands, Mac (Darren Matthews) and Morgan (Justin Cartledge) are showing newer recruit James (Richard Orchard-Rowe) the ropes, and also having a bit of fun at his expense, by sending him to count the seagulls flying around.
The three men are all veterans of the First World War, and it’s suggested that they have taken this lonely and remote work to avoid their demons, to avoid the noise of the world and perhaps to hide away. Their experiences fighting in the trenches have drawn them to this almost solitude. Both Matthews and Morgan do a strong job of suggesting the damage they carry, and Orchard-Rowe, as the newbie who is less inclined to follow established patterns, provides a good counterpoint to their established camaraderie.
The arrival of another man on the island leads to immediate fear and suspicion. They are ready to greet him with weapons, but as he collapses, they are left with no information. Where did he come from and how did he get here without any sign of a boat? Stranger still, he appears to be German and is carrying hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of diamonds. This causes tension and disarray. The men become suspicious of each other almost at once, and start thinking about how they will split this fortune and leave the island, and most urgently, what they’ll do with the owner of the fortune, who is now unconscious in their little kitchen.
The rift between Mac and Morgan strikes hard but feels a little sudden; a little more time would help their motivations really land. Sure, the temptation of riches is strong, but those riches are complicated. The relationship, and in particular the trust built up together on this island, feels a little too easily torn asunder. Instead of the easy camaraderie and banter, there is sudden suspicion and distrust, and I was really left wanting a greater sense of what drove this drastic change.
The set is sparse, just a few chairs around a table, some teacups and a biscuit tin. The costumes are similarly understated but effective, simple jumpers with the look of lighthouse keepers, complete with shoulder patches. Director Amy Clayton makes good use of the small space; a little black box theatre is an effective setting for the small lighthouse kitchen, and the cast use the theatre’s own doors as a stand-in for the lighthouse doors. The intimacy works nicely to help build the tension as the men are increasingly trapped together
What also works well is a further change, a suggestion towards the end that things are very much not what they seem. The play appears to turn back on itself, leaving us questioning what we’ve seen and what we know of the events at the lighthouse. It is an effective device and left me wondering how much of what I’d seen was true. Lighthouse is an intriguing and claustrophobic piece, which certainly left me wanting more
Written by Justin Cartledge
Directed by Amy Clayton
Stage Manager: Amy Clayton
Costuming, Props, Set Design & Construction: Early Doors Productions
Sound & Lighting Technician: Neil Gray
Lighthouse plays at the Etcetera Theatre as part of its 2026 UK tour until Sunday 9 August
before transferring to the Edinburgh Festival
