"I saw Belgrade play starring Doctor Who star and nearly jumped out of my skin"

[dutchman]

The atmospheric play is on at the Belgrade Theatre now



A production playing now at Coventry's Belgrade Theatre is sure to give you a good fright. The Croft, based on a true story set in the remote Scottish Highlands, is an edgy and atmospheric ride which will leave you jumping out of your skin.

It opens with two women arriving at a former crofters hut in the deserted village of Coille Gillie. Suddenly, the weekend getaway takes an unexpected turn. Cut off from the modern world, Laura and Suzanne find themselves drawn into the dark history of the Croft and the lives that passed before them.

Spread across three time zones, the play connects the lives of leads, the TV star Caroline Harkin as Suzanne, and Gracie Follows as Laura, her much younger lover, with Laura's father and her late mum. But hanging over the these two time zones is a third set in the 1800s which tells the story of a disgraced local girl Eileen, who finds shelter with an outcast woman named Edna who many think is a witch - played brilliantly by Doctor Who and Bergerac star Liza Goddard.

With these differing time zones and some actors playing multiple parts, it can seem disjointed and blurred at times - but some will love this element as it means things can be left open to interpretation, the ending in particular.

The atmosphere builds throughout, creating plenty of suspenseful frights. A window in the stage's shack like setting is used masterfully creating some genuinely scary moments. The lights and hinted-at darkness is also used wonderfully - the shadows created by the cast's movements almost becoming a character of their own.

Though not an out and out horror, The Croft is certainly chilling, but really it feels like the heart of the play is the stories of, and challenges faced, by women. A grieving daughter, Laura, whose mum couldn't face her as she became poorly, and the ramifications that has. Laura's lover Suzanne, who can't throw herself into a new romance because of her commitments as a mum and wife. But in the third time frame it is what would happen to women who didn't comply with society - Eileen falling pregnant out of wedlock and Edna not buying into the expected religious way of life.

Goddard's Edna tends to linger on the outskirts a bit, which is a shame as the character is played with a fragile kind of menace brilliantly. Follows in split roles as grieving and at times petulant Laura, as well as the shamed Eileen is also superb. If you like a nice jump scare and, I would certainly recommend.

[dutchman]

Any kangaroos?