Before watching this performance, I was eagerly expecting to be impressed by the promise of circus skills, puppetry, and a beloved writer. However, whilst there were flights of terrific and terrifying intensity, unfortunately I was left feeling a little let down by this eerie adaption of the works of Edgar Allen Poe.
Backhand Theatre presents a series of Poe’s ghoulish tales within the framework of an insane asylum, a fittingly setting. The set is constructed from two ramshackle walls; striking and slickly manipulated, they serve to hem in the inmates and The Visitor from Paris, as he zealously attempts to complete his inspection of the institution. The opening is sumptuously cinematic, as heavy metal gates swing open in plumes of smoke, setting the scene for something truly chilling.
Generally the performances are engaging and skillful, if a little contrived in an attempt to match the grandeur of this Hollywood horror setting. The creeping, ingratiating charm of the eccentric psychiatrist Icarus is delivered with relish and imposing presence. In states of feverish insanity the inmates recite tales such as The Raven and The Pit and the Pendulum. The stories are skillfully woven to intriguing affect; some liberties will be surprising to those who know Poe’s work, the framework itself supposedly inspired by The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether. The poetry, written byGavin Maxwell and Sally Preston, is enthralling and elegantly delivered.
Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot of dry ice and dim lighting to paint this grim world. The lack of lighting, however, is more detrimental than atmospheric, as the contorted, expressive faces of the performers are masked by tuffs of smoke or left completely in the dark.
Highlights of the circus skills include Maxwell’s performance in The Pit and the Pendulum, imitating the frenzied sway of the pendulum in an aerial hoop, spinning with increasing ferocity like a spun coin on the stage. Unfortunately, other aerial work is less impressive and feels inconsequential, or unconnected to the subject matter. Equally, the enormous crow puppet is impressive at first sight, but fails to deliver, as it is hardly animated and as static as any other piece of set. Whilst entertaining, skillfully delivered, and sometimes fantastic this Gothic horror fails to reach the gut wrenching, hair-raising climax it strives for.
