Author Oliver Lansley garnered considerable and well deserved praise for his Fringe hit, The Terrible Infants, which popped up at the Pleasance in 2007 and enjoyed a runaway success ever since (most recently at the Udderbelly's noteworthy appearance on the Southbank in London). So now back at the Pleasance with Ernest And The Pale Moon, he has created big expectations.I needn't have worried. This piece is every bit as strong in narrated style and poetic substance as its older sibling, but where Infants offered a patchwork of tall tales that crossed the tastes of all generations, Ernest is a far darker play that focuses on a single story - and that story isn't exactly what you'd describe as 'kid friendly'. At the top of the show Ernest Hemel is a broken man. Cowering in an asylum that may well have been decorated by Tim Burton on one of his more psychotic days, what follows is a distinctly non-linear account of what got him there and why his dementia is only quelled by masking the full glare of the moon from his cell window. Director Emma Earle builds a beautifully rich physical tapestry as the cast skilfully bounce the narrative between themselves. These multi-talented actors often pick up instruments to seamlessly add depth with their own underscore, or conjure sound effects from inventive use of props. The author himself, Lansley plays the role of Ernest, accompanied by Grace Carter as the frail young girl who lives in the apartment block opposite him; Joe Woolmer, her neighbour; and Rachel Dawson as the asylum nurse and Ernest's mother. It would be unfair to single out any performance, as there is no weak link in this troupe, although I did really fall in love with Carter's innocent, china-doll portrayal of Gwendoline and Woolmer's plucky, optimistic Thomas.Make no bones then, this will sell out. It will appeal to anyone who wants to be immersed in a noir horror and swept along with such beautifully choreographed storytelling that you sit mouth-agog at the sheer spectacle of it all.Lansley, book the next couple of years out. You have another hit.
