The Edge of Darkness

This play was new to me and so I looked for a synopsis and was surprised when I could not find one that was more than a few lines, so I went to see it knowing only it was set around 1900, and was about a young lady called, Emma who had disappeared some years earlier, and has reappeared but lost her memory. The audience was kept in suspense until the final few minutes when all was revealed.

All the action took place in the drawing room of a house on a cliff top.  The set was well constructed, decorated and furnished creating the right environment for the play.  The play required French doors, a fireplace, a staircase, a piano, the portrait of a man, a bureau and several exits to other parts of the house, which stage manager, Phil Lovell, and his crew had designed and provided.  There were well-operated sound effects, which, were well cued, the sound of the sea whenever the French doors were opened, the ticking clock and the choice of atmospheric music, which helped build the tension.  The effective lighting changes helped establish the time of day the action was happening; although the lamps did seem to have a mind of their own, and the pink wash outside the French door towards the end of the play was a little strange.  The wardrobe team had provided lovely period costumes, with makeup and hairstyles in keeping.

The characters were well portrayed and interacted well with each other.  Nicky Shipton did a sterling job as Penny, the gossipy housemaid-cook, who brings well timed comedy to the proceedings, but also gives the audience the background to the story while gossiping to Hardy the newly arrived Butler/handy man.  Rob Creer, as Hardy, had created a complex character.  Max and Laura Cranwell, Emma’s parents, played by Steve Crump and Diane Owen, were interesting characters Max being the gentle, kind, composed father and Laura the mother, who was never totally relaxed and had the occasional over-emotional episode.  They both showed good character development as the play progressed.  Lizzie Abbot-Davies gave a convincing interpretation as Emma, the daughter with memory loss, showing the gambit of emotions well, from the uncertainty of not recognising her parents to the very powerful sleep walking scene.  The part of Livago is not large but very important and was well portrayed by Richard Cottle.  It is always difficult to make an appearance in a play on virtually the last page but Ross Brown filled the role admirably.

Stage Thrillers are a very difficult genre to work in, but Director Andrew Stubbs had helped his cast to understand their roles and the complexities of giving clues without giving away too much.  The cast maintained the tension as the story unfolded, keeping the audience’s attention and not slipping into melodrama. I enjoyed the evening and was glad I did not know the outcome before I arrived. The whole team had worked well together to create a thoroughly entertaining evening.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.