Darker Shores is an engaging little ghost story, with excellent performances, particularly from Tom Goodman-Hill. Perhaps the Hampstead Theatre is a little too cosy for the chills to be truly scary but some of the effects are spookily well-realised. - houndtang
12 Dec 09
A great idea with a spectacular set that offers more than we get - even the brooding atmosphere is wasted on a minimal plot that fails to deliver the goods.
the acting is very good on the whole tough I agree with MC that the director seems unsure as to how he wants it to be played -there are certianly more luaghs" waiting in the wings2 or the pages of the script than we actually get!
The sound and lighting effects let it down too, being either too OTT or coming from completely the wrong direction and if the chandeliers are supposed to make the feel part of the set well -they don't! - DaveJ
11 Dec 09
Me and my wife saw this play and were Enthralled, the balance of humour and darkness with magic and special effects was superb. This is a great show to go and see, leave your panto's and musicals for once and see something very different. The cast were excellent, especially as Tom Goodman Hill was a very last minute replacement so I can only believe that each day the play will become more polished. I can't understand why the reviewer was so blaze in his comments when this play stands out for me. The pace was spot on and the feeling you come out with is that of having seen a play that mad you laugh, jump, Ohhh and think a bit too. Not many plays have that mix these days and they are the poorer for it. We say we are pretty culturally shallow and we like what we like and don't what we don't and this was definitly a LIKE. Go and see it you won't regret it. - Sam & Graham
11 Dec 09
I saw this show on Saturday and found it really very involving. What this glib and unsatisfactory review misses is how moving the play is, its themes of parent and child relationships beautifully fleshed out. Funny and emotionally engaging. Mr Coveney, the play is set on the Sussex coast, and Julian Rhind-Tutt plays a "Trance Medium" not a "trans medium". It's a shame this reviewer has become so sloppy. - Lisa Henshall
08 Dec 09
‘Darker Shores’
Hampstead Theatre
4th Dec 09 – 16th January 10
Running Time: Approx 2 hours
Includes 15 minute interval
***
Director: Anthony Clark
Micheal Punter’s ‘Darker Shores’ opens with Tom Beauregard (played by Julian Rhind-Tutt) recording the ghostly encounter of Professor Stokes’ at the Sea House in 1875 where he had stayed to complete his book discrediting Darwin’s theory of evolution. Southern American spiritualist Beauregard has some tricks up his sleeve as he follows Stokes back to the scene.
Tom Goodman-Hill is competent as Stokes having stepped in at the last minute following Mark Gatiss who had to withdraw from the production due to a sick family member. Goodman-Hill joins his fellow double barrelled co-star Julian fresh from his award winning run in Lucy Prebble’s Enron at The Royal Court. You get the feeling that with a few more shows under his belt he will truly excel in playing this weighty character troubled by his past.
Stokes is shown to be a repressed, buttoned up academic with a smart suit, thin cravat and long olive green velvet coat. Goodman-Hill hints at Stokes’ deep sadness and frustrated anguish in a quieter scene with Florence Kennedy (played by Vinette Robinson) where he talks about his wife and child who he lost at sea.
Beauregard is portrayed with energy by the bedraggled haired Rhind-Tutt who appears eccentric in his velvet red coat, chintzy waistcoat and loose cravat all displaying his dissimilarity to Stokes. Beauregard is haunted by his memories but deals with his torment in a different way by indulging in whisky and calling forth the spirits. Beauregard gets the plays’ best line claiming that “the dead are as inconstant as the living” showing his disillusionment with the world.
The beginning of the play worked well to introduce the story by Stokes jumping in and out of past and present telling the story of the spooky goings on in Sussex. This is where the play is reminiscent of The Woman in Black (also set on the coast) but unfortunately this production is not as slick or as nail-biting as one of the most successful plays in West End history. There is not a permanent presence of fear in this play but it did make me jump none the less.
There is plenty of excitement for those who are seeking a thrill with crashing, thumping and flashes of light. The effects also were compelling when the ghost does emerge and this scene especially did send a few shivers down my spine.
I was particularly taken with the design by Thomas Gray who created the haunting video and projections on the diorama showing rain and storms with beautiful clarity and maximum impact.
Florence is the ‘negress’ maid who has been taken in by Mrs. Hinchcliffe after having an illegitimate child. Kennedy shows the susceptibility of her character to the paranormal world during the séance. She proves to be a distraction to Stokes who is hiding secrets of his own which may hold the key to his interest in the ghostly presence at the sea house.
Religion, faith and belief are recurring ideas of this play and provide some of the humour. Stokes wants to disprove Darwin and Beauregard is trying to force the supernatural therefore challenging some religious notions. Agnes Hinchcliffe (played by Pamela Miles) is wonderfully proper reminding us throughout the play that it is still Advent and not Christmas yet. She is adamant that the house is clean and tries to exorcise the ghost by reading out a ritual that involves killing a bird (but don’t worry parents no bird was harmed). Dressed in black for the whole play she impresses that she is in mourning for her former employer the missionary who bequeathed her the house.
The notion of the secret is another theme in Darker Shores, the balcony is kept as it was, the statues are covered under dust sheets and the characters are all looking for answers within the house.
Paul Farnsworth’s set design is deliciously gothic and black. The wrought iron bedstead and candelabra hanging from the ceiling set the mood of the late 19th century. Swathes of black curtains and tablecloths, bed linen and dust sheets all camouflaging the secrets of the mysterious house. The stage feels immense in Hampstead theatre taking the fourth wall to the very corners of the auditorium. The huge door upstage seemed to create a sense of separation between the household and lodgers of the guest house, between the haves and the have-nots.
Edward Lewis’ subtle use of classical music gave a peaceful moment to this sometimes unsettling play. The use of banging and dragging kept the second night audience on the edge of their seats.
Anthony Clark directs the cast with a patient enthusiasm for the piece. Darker Shores is to be his last production as artistic director for Hampstead theatre and looks set to be a festive alternative for all those who tire of pantomime year after year.
Essentially Darker Shores is diverting and visually awakening but I think it lacks the full frisson of surprise that makes other ghost stories such as the Woman in Black so compelling to watch.
Note: Audience members with light sensitive epilepsy should be advised that this play has strobe lighting in parts.
Note: Suitable for ages 11+
- Victoria Claringbold
Whatsonstage.com - Discount London theatre tickets, theatre news and reviews, Theatre videos, Theatre discussion, National Theatre Listings. Covering London's West End, all of Theatreland and all UK theatre. The best
for London Theatre Ticket Discounts.
