The Grange Players
Presents
Edith in the Dark
By Philip Meeks
May 11th - 21st 2016
We are greeted with a strikingly eerie set, dimmed lights and sinister music which sets the scene nicely for the events that are to unfold in this sometimes dark and sometimes humerous production.
The production was set in the house of author Edith Nesbitt who had escaped from her husbands Christmas Party and was entertaining a mysterious, handsome guest, Mr Guasto. He had gatecrashed the party to meet Edith and asked her to read to him from one of her stories. He particularly wanted to hear from The Railway Children or one of her children's tales, but Edith preferred to read from one of her early works, her horror stories.
These stories were filled with sadness and loss which disturbed the mysterious young man.
They were joined by the Housekeeper, Biddy who decided to join them in the ghostly stories armed with a jug of punch!
As the evening unfolded, the stories got darker and darker with each character taking on the characters within the stories until ending with the discovery of the mysterious Mr Guasto's identity.
The Grange Players set the piece perfectly. The set, Ediths attic writing room was dark and uninviting with cobwebs and dying flowers scattered around. The lighting created subtle shadows as if ghosts were watching over them and the sound was perfectly in time with the action and really gave the piece a sense of dispair and sorrow.
The actors, Samantha Allan (Edith), Rob Meehan (Mr Guasto) and Lynne Young (Biddy Thricefold) played their parts well and went in and out of their different characters within the horror stories well, which allowed the audience to distinguish between their real characters and the characters in the story.
Please do not be put off this production with the thought that it is completely full of darkness, as there are some extremely funny one liners which breaks the tension up nicely and is a great piece of theatre to go and watch.
The show is directed by Rachel Waters and runs until 21st May.
