The Curse of the Werewolf
Ken Hill‘s plays are not performed very often. It is a great shame, since there are elements of genius in his work and his success is not to be sniffed at – West End runs of his Phantom of the Opera musical (the one which inspired the Andrew Lloyd Webber version) and The Invisible Man for example. Now The Curse of the Werewolf gets a go at a London audience, albeit in the much smaller Union Theatre with notices in its toilets warning theatregoers not to flush during performances (the auditorium is directly next door).
The Curse of the Werewolf musically follows the story of the Bancroft family who visit the rather odd village of Walpurgisdorf, where werewolves run rampant. It’s very fast-paced which means the audience is kept on its toes, and has a distinct Carry On script style where gentle digs at the Germans (“I’m a policeman – I need evidence.” – “But you’re a German policeman!”) are aplenty with frequent, and just as funny, jibes about the English. The need for the pace to be so fast makes for a slight feeling of exhaustion, and it lets itself down during the wordier scenes particularly towards the end of a very long first act but the slick casting gets it quickly back on track.
In fringe theatre, where you can’t always afford big sets or a large orchestra (the underscoring and musical accompaniment in this provided by an animated Andrew Swift on a solo piano), a show relies upon its cast to deliver. This one did. Daniel Brocklebank, as the Baron von Heilman, had a charming singing voice and when paired with the unmissable Alexis Caley, as sweet-natured Kitty Bancroft, created scenes which were simply a delight to experience, especially the “This is the Start” number where the two declare their love for each other.
The small space was fully utilised by Andrew Lynford‘s direction, with actors entering from various parts of the auditorium, and the lighting by Steve Miller made up a lot for the sparse set and the distinct lack of trees during the forest scenes, although the audience came prepared to use their imagination for such things.
It’s not at all a play that you have to think about too much – there’s no deep political or social thoughts trying to make themselves known to the audience, although one scene in which Professor Steiner explains his discovery that there is no such thing as a “normal” person is not unlike some of the psychologically dramatic scenes of Equus or Blue/Orange.
What The Curse of the Werewolf does give you though is priceless: an entertaining evening filled with toe-tapping songs, fantastic one-liners and puppet rabbits. Some might not place a high value on such things, but I found this a refreshing break from reality.
– Tom Atkins
