REVIEW | Casting The Runes, Pleasance London

Reviews

21 Oct

Written by Penny

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review

Fresh from a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe, Box Tale Soup’s latest production has arrived at London’s Pleasance venue as part of a UK tour.

Casting the Runes is an adaptation of a short story written by English author M.R. James, which was published in a collection of ghost stories. It’s a particularly chilling subject matter for any theatre reviewer to tackle, the story centres on a debunked occultist called Mr Karswell who curses anybody who gives him a negative review by slipping them a piece of paper with some runes etched upon it, leading to disastrous consequences for his critical targets.

All of the characters are played by Boxtail Soup’s founder members and artistic directors, Antonia Christophers and Noel Byrne. Between them they bring the play to life through a combination of live action and puppetry, switching effortlessly between characters that are clearly differentiated through the tone of voice and mannerisms adopted. Byrne plays Mr Dunning, the lecturer with a sceptical view of the paranormal, and does a fantastic job in going from portraying a man who is slightly over-confident and dismissive to being utterly terrorized as events unfold. Christophers plays the majority of the other parts and is particularly impressive when she takes on the Harrington siblings, jumping between the sister and brother in a flashback scene that sets up the play’s central conflict. Seated at the side of a fairly large performance space, I found a few of Christophers’ lines a little hard to hear when she was delivering them from behind a puppet but the majority were loud and clear. All of the puppets are used very effectively, but the sinister Karswell is particularly impressive and imposing.

Adam Lenson’s direction makes excellent use of the stage. A minimal set and a few props are used to create the various locations – it’s very inventive. The two actors move the on-stage furniture around with sharply choreographed movements. This is all accompanied by suitably atmospheric music, composed by Dan Melrose, and lighting and sound effects that all help to add to the air of tension. The clever use of props and effects gives us the supernatural element that all good ghost stories need.

The tension grows as the play progresses, reaching a satisfyingly scary sense of jeopardy. As Dunning and Harrington join together to try and defeat Karswell, the anticipation of what could happen is pitched perfectly, leaving us guessing right to the end. This is a very enjoyable ghost story, that’s brought to the stage with great creativity and storytelling ability. It’s recommended for any fans of the supernatural and the theatrical.

Casting The Runes is touring the UK until February 2024. For more information and to find a venue near you visit the Box Tale Soup website.