Clever, Creative and Eerie – The Turn of the Screw
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https://www.seymourcentre.com/event/the-turn-of-the-screw/
Date Reviewed: 21/07/2023
The Turn of the Screw, written and directed by Tooth and Sinew’s Richard Hilliar (after Henry James) was a very clever and creative production.
An eerie atmosphere was established, from the moment the audience walked into the theatre through the mist to their seats. The preshow orchestral interlude, composed by sound designer Chrysoulla Markoulli purposefully used amplification and dynamics to capture my attention and left me with an unsettled feeling.
Whilst waiting for the show to begin, I got a subtle hint of what was to come by seeing the addition of something strange growing down from the ceiling onto the walls, it was creepy. These preshow elements caught all my senses to ensure a mysterious introduction to The Turn of the Screw.
The play was an adaptation of a well-known novella by Henry James and classified as a psychological thriller. A young governess is hired to supervise and take care of two children by their Uncle and is sent to live at an isolated property in the English countryside, joining the mansion’s housekeeper Mrs Grose.
It is here in the house where the governess experiences something unsettling, and the audience is first introduced to the idea that all may not be what it seems within this family and indeed, within the house itself and the surrounding grounds.
As the story progressed, so did the suspense. The underlying tension continued to mount as strange things involving the children occurred and we are left to question if the Governess, in her attempt to protect the children, is a reliable narrator. There were some spine-chilling supernatural moments throughout the story, complemented by the lighting, sound and acting that made me shiver!
There was an effective use of costumes, set design, and props to clearly define the era without explicitly telling the audience, in the late 1800’s. The colour palette of the set and costumes added to the authenticity and the mood.
All five cast members in the ensemble successfully pulled the audience directly into the show, with in-depth believable performances. Each character had their own back story to unravel, and they did this superbly!
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