Let The Right One In - Black Swan State Theatre Company - Review

Let The Right One In - Black Swan State Theatre Company - Review

Post
Subscribe

Posted 2017-11-16 by Douglas Sutherland-Brucefollow

Sat 11 Nov 2017 - Sun 03 Dec 2017

The last offering for 2017 from the Black Swan Theatre Company is an adaptation by Jack Thorne of Swedish novelist John Ajvide Lindqvist's Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In).

It's no spoiler to say this is a play about vampires - or one specific vampire in particular. Ordinarily this might be the denouement, but here it seems to be pretty much background. If you didn't guess the photo in the programme of the actress playing Eli (Sophia Forrest) dripping blood while crouched over a body kind of hints.



The story is very simple - boy meets girl, girl turns out to be vampire, everyone lives happily ever after except for those that die.

I confess freely that I have not read the book, either in the original Swedish, nor in translation, nor have I seen the original Swedish movie made from the novel, but unless a whole amount of the plot was left out of the playscript the plot is far from complex.

To make up for the simplicity of the plot, the staging is incredibly complex and impressive, designed by experienced set designer Bruce McKinven, who has an impressive resume and whose work on this set is outstanding.



The set is on three levels, roughly in the form of an apartment block, but flexible enough in outline to be a block of flats, a school, a forest, a hospital, a swimming pool and a sweet shop. Practical enough for actors to climb up, dance on and murder in.

The lighting showed the same level of innovation and invention with blood effects that are truly disturbing, snow flakes falling, a silver birch forest and rough concrete.

So compelling were the effects that the action felt like an excuse for them, rather than an enhancement of the action and characterisation development.

The acting, with the exception of WAAPA graduate Sophia Forrest never rose much above workmanlike, paling somewhat by comparison with Ms Forrest who was amazing as Eli, the blood drinker.

Ian Michael as Oscar was convincing as a bullied lad of indeterminate age and the scenes where he was tormented were among the most discomforting and compelling.

My companion. who is not a regular play-goer, came up with the theory that the director (Clare Watson) deliberately made Eli more vivid and alive than the rest by way of hightened contrast. It's an interesting thought.

The locus of the play has been transferred to Australia (going by the accents) but the setting of a frigid climate, snow and bleakness has been retained, which makes it a trifle disconcerting as it snows so seldom in Perth.

All in all, a thought-proking and impressive production that should have audiences talking for a while.

The title of the play refers to the superstition that vampires cannot enter a home uninvited.

Let The Right One In runs at the Heath Ledger Theatre, William Street, Northbridge until the 3rd December. Ticket prices and show times are variable - consult the website here .

Recommended.



Incidentally, I've seen a preview of next year's production list and it's excellent - a mixture of the familiar and experimental.

#cultural_events
#Drama
#performing_arts
#perth_city
#quirky
#theatre
#theatre -reviews
#november
!date 11/11/2017 -- 03/12/2017
%wnperth
193254 - 2023-06-16 03:50:36

Tags

Free
Festivals
Music
Outdoor
Markets
Nightlife
Fundraisers
Family_friendly
Community
Arts_culture
Random
Educational
Food_drink
Holiday
Theatre_shows
Copyright 2024 OatLabs ABN 18113479226