I saw this show on the penultimate day of its Fringe run and whilst this review may not help their attendance numbers hopefully it will pay forward into any future work this company presents.
It’s a tiny stage on which Headlock Theatre present this tight three-hander on the fate of a young girl called Bower and her brother Chalk.
Blue played by Rebecca Solomon, a descendant of the notorious Bluebeard has married the young woman Bower drawing her into a saturnine and menacing world. Chalk, Bower's brother a simple and trusting soul is inseparable from his sister and joins her much to Blue's displeasure. His presence creates a dramatic tension in virtually every scene.
Despite the restrictions caused by the small performance area the choreography of the piece is perfectly matched to the available space. The movement is controlled but beautifully flowing and manages to contribute to and define the relationships and interplays of the characters.
Bower played by Tori Klayes projects a calm and virtuous character which plays well against the hidden menace and foreboding of Solomon's Blue. Ben Price’s Chalk treads a fine line between innocence and naivety without tumbling into stupid and for my money gives one of the best performances in this production.
The ending jarred for me, it was too abrupt and left too many questions unanswered. Up until, the final scene the progression of scene and circumstance had been developed with a good pace but the ending felt unbalanced - almost rushed.
Until the 22nd