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23 October 2025

It is always difficult to review these types of one-act plays because of “spoilers”, especially if inadvertently read by show sold out attendees; with that in mind I shall not go into too much detail except to say your mind will be intrigued.

Clare has done so well to create just the right mood and atmosphere in this small space for her two very different plays, linked by the fact they involve some kind of exploitation and searching.

Hazel Burrows was brilliant in opening the evening just by hesitantly singing; her total belief in her surroundings and “fear” was quite palpable. Her understanding of the text was matched only by the subsequent visitors of Maria Head and Harley Harding as a Mother and Daughter explaining the secret of the past that made the house at midnight a place no attendance advised. Both had long sets of dialogue expertly put across and clearly inhabited the characters.

Diction and costume to match the time were perfectly done, with Paul Baker being suitably subservient in the Hopkins role. All beautifully observed by Gemma Kirk as Mrs Dean seeking answers to the mystery.

The maroon set and lighting matched with excellent sound of the odd creak and bang made the whole thing very eerie. Whilst the subject matter is well known, the twist at the end was unexpected. Pace was good giving a credibility to the tale and ending.

The second half began with a manic eyed Teo Rusu, gliding around the stage in a whirl of infectious madness. Her tale, sad and relevant to today despite being based in the 1700s, was quite riveting and expertly told. William’s direction perfectly encapsulated the hysteria of the time and Teo’s enthusiasm and again, total belief in her character, was a fine watch. Just enough hint of madness to not distract from the storytelling.

I always sit in at the Masker’s interval because the way the set is altered is always a fascination to me. This dedicated team time and again bring something new to what is just an oblong space. The list of individuals is too long to detail here, but please look at the programme and see how many there are who (consistently) give their time and energy behind the scenes to produce such high standard work.

And change it did into a modern library type setting, the fireplace being covered by modern shelving unit effortlessly. A different mood has been created with modern dress and mobile phone usage taking the audience to something quite different, but still perhaps highlighting the way the human brain can think of new ways to con money out of people – or maybe not?

Maddy Cope and Megan Swanson casually arrive. We assume they are related, with Maddy being given some excellent one-liners, very much channelling and enjoying her stroppy teenager character. Megan did well to contain this behaviour, showing a calmer reaction to the events that began to unfold.

Molly Smith as Sally brought a warmth and sincerity to her role as one who had recently lost her father: a wide eyed innocent searching for her own relief from grief and guilt.

Simon Carter brought just the right level of anarchical spin to Vincent Welby. I liked the wig reveal particularly. It was played as if he was just on the right side of a nervous breakdown, which actually gave some sympathy to such a dislikeable character. I would love to have known his back story.

His interplay with Teo Rusu, Paul Baker and Gemma Kirk was well judged and thought out; the shoes behind the curtain I thought was a good touch, as was the ending which didn’t quite penny drop with me for a few moments, which was a good thing. My advice would be to listen to the leaving dialogue, which was clearly well done all round.

Clare and William should be very pleased with the quality and entertainment value they have produced, the audience reaction around me very much mirroring my own. The fact that so many did not want to leave immediately but want to discuss it should be also very heartening.

- David A Putley