Don't Look Now - Phoenix FM

Don’t Look Now

Written by Chris Stagg in Words and Sound👁 8,902

Friday 30 October 2015, 1.40pm

On Monday I saw the latest production at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch. I need to say from the off that this is not for children due to some nudity, scenes of a sexual nature and swearing, as well as frequent scares (especially for me…. but I shall get to that shortly).

Don’t Look Now tells the story of John (Tom Cornish) and Laura (Charlotte Powell) and their second honeymoon to Venice in an attempt to save their failing marriage in the wake of their daughter Christine’s death. Once arrived, John and Laura quickly run into 2 sisters (played by Tina Gray and Gillian Cally) who are also on holiday. We soon learn that there is something very strange about the 2 sisters and after the admission that they can psychically see the deceased Christine, they then predict a tragedy if John does not leave Venice immediately. Laura being comforted by the sisters sightings of Christine, is in stark contrast to John’s suspicions that they are conning Laura some how, though he does briefly enjoy a renewed happiness in Laura. The story quickly takes a dark turn that leads to madness for one of our cast and a tragic conclusion.

I have seen a number of plays now at the Queens Theatre and I have not yet been disappointed. The staging on this production is incredible. They have managed to capture a believable representation of Venice with quite an innovative mechanical portion of the stage to change certain aspects of the scene. With clever lightening the same stage, which essentially remains the same, can be believed to be a bright and bustling morning square, cool evening restaurant or eerie and lonely alley way. The whole production has a tense undertone which becomes increasingly creepy. The atmosphere that is created is perfect for the story and believable, and the sound department have really done wonders here with their use of music and effects.

Tom Cornish and Charlotte Powell have an incredible on stage chemistry that is very believable and a joy to watch. I always feel a play, or book or film is a success when we invest something in the characters, and that certainly happens here. We feel their anger in their frequent moments of tension, and we feel their fear when lost in the labyrinthine streets of Venice. We care what happens to them, and this is entirely down to the acting skills of Cornish and Powell. Gillian Cally and Tina Gray as the 2 sisters are perfectly cast and very scary at times and are a constant source of wonder for what may happen next and their true intentions.

This production, is dark, tense and very creepy. The girl in red (who I wont mention further to save the surprise) is a constant point of tension for when she will appear, and in at least one instance I jumped out of my seat at her presence (much to the amusement of my guest and our seated neighbours!)

I enjoyed this performance very much and from me it comes very highly recommend – especially if you’re looking for something dark this Halloween. Don’t hesitate in going to see Don’t Look Now.