The Red Room
Drawn by the sinister reputation of Lorraine Castle, of the deaths which have occurred within its supposedly haunted walls and in particular inside the red room, accessed up the spiral staircase, along the landing and through the door to the long corridor, the visitor is confident and will not be dissuaded from spending the night there alone: “I can assure you that it will take a very tangible ghost to frighten me.”
Yet in that room of shutters and oak panelled walls, considering the events of the previous incidents, of the duke who fell to his death down those very stairs, of another guest who apparently died of fright during the night for reasons unknown, with the seventeen candles flickering and dying and only the fading red glow of the firelight remaining to hold back the darkness, the visitor’s resolve is tested.
Adapted faithfully from the 1894 short story written by the great H G Wells, The Red Room is a solo performance of the Gothic supernatural tale by Ellie Ball as the unnamed visitor, inquisitive and observant, a sceptic but not of closed mind, as well as the elderly housekeepers who grudgingly serve as hosts, slipping between the parts with simple changes of posture and rearrangements of costume, the dialogue delivered flawlessly with confidence and clarity.
The staging minimal, essentially a monologue in a black draped box, such compromises are a part of the Fringe, but it is unfortunate that given the lack of atmosphere which the venue offer that more effort was not made with the period detail and authenticity of aspects which were in the control of the production, the modern LED lamp and the baggy cargo pants of the costume; like whatever inhabits the room, trying to get out, there is a good show in here, but it has not yet truly revealed itself.
The Red Room continues at Greenside on Riddles Court until Saturday 17th August
