This isn’t a sponsored post.
BrumHour was invited to see The Wicked Lady by Blue Orange Theatre.
By Dave Massey twitter.com/BrumHour with additional comments by Becky Kroon twitter.com/BeckyKroon
Review: The Wicked Lady – World Premiere at Blue Orange Theatre
Written and Directed by James Williams
A missing young girl prompts suspicious copper, Sargent Fenton (Saul Bache), to enlist the help of Alice (Nicki Davy), a woman who debunks unexplained ghost sightings, to examine the last known footage of the young girl. This leads Alice to an old scary house called Markyate Cell in Markyate, a village in Hertfordshire. This is the former home of Katherine Ferrers aka The Wicked Lady.
Told over two one-hour parts, The Wicked Lady presents a bold World Premiere of a folk story in a solid looking set covered by a huge sheet that pulls back to reveal the interior of Markyate Cell.
This is house of horrors type story full of thrills and spills and jump scares which left my heart pounding loudly in my chest. This is a great reminder of what can be achieved by smaller scale theatres and an assured director.
Nicki Davy is excellent as Alice, the non believer, carrying her own pain with her as she helps others, while Saul Bache delivers a suitably cold performance as the distant Fenton who also acts as our narrator drawing us in further.
Blue Orange Theatre with its stadium style rows of seats isn’t somewhere that I’d normally be afraid of in the dark, its a modern space after all with a modern theatre only built within the last twenty years, but for me, I was looking over my shoulder throughout the evening and seeing what was in the corner of my eye.
A stark reminder that Halloween is around the corner and autumn nights are here!
Becky who joined me for the evening said:
The intricacies of the set layout and decor became the centrepiece of what was a chilling and unpredictable thriller.
I expected an intimate atmosphere, with sound and lighting design being the main drive of the narrative. The way that the whole set was designed exceeded my expectations.
We aren’t going to tell you any more about it other, than if you get chance you and you like scary stories this is for you!
The Wicked Lady is at Blue Orange Theatre until 16th October. Book tickets here: blueorangetheatre.co.uk/project/wickedladylive/
