REVIEW | The Innocents, Little Theatre Leicester

Reviews

25 Oct

Written by Samantha

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review

The Innocents is based on the horror novel The Turn of the Screw by Henry James which was written in 1898. This adaptation takes place in the drawing room of an English country house, set in 1880, and is roughly one hour and 45 minutes long. A governess comes to live at Bly to look after two children, who are orphans and have very little to do with their estranged uncle. During the play, we come across two ghosts who were former residents of Bly.

There are four main cast members in this show, two adults and two children - Miss Gidden, the governess (Amber Goddard), Mrs Grose (Karen Gordon), Flora (Amy Rainbow), and Miles (Daniel Bettles). It was clear from the start that all four of them have worked so closely together during rehearsals because they were all in sync with one another and knew exactly where they were meant to be on stage. I admire their dedication.

I liked the concept of the story, but I felt like there was something missing because I found myself questioning certain scenes. I also noticed that when the ghosts appeared, it didn’t seem to shock anyone, it just made them wail/squawk (this was uncomfortable for me to listen to) rather than scream or question why there was a ghost in the house. It just didn’t seem to panic anyone or make Miss Gidden want to leave.

As mentioned above, the cast’s commitment to this show is obvious and should be applauded because getting their lines right to ensure the story flows properly is all down to them as there are no additional cast members to provide any prompts. However, the younger members of the cast do need to slow down when they are performing their lines to ensure we can understand the flow of the storyline better.

I think Amber and Karen did their characters justice and their bond/chemistry was very noticeable on stage. I just couldn’t work out how much involvement Mrs Grose had had over the years with the children, their uncle, the house, and whether she was even real. At one point, I thought Miss Gidden had been hired to look after three ghosts until the real ghosts appeared. It just didn’t flow as well as I was expecting.

As this was opening night and therefore their first performance in front of an audience, the children’s efforts and endurance shone through – Daniel was very articulate. With more practice, direction and time on stage, their presentation, body language, and confidence will grow stronger in time, and they can work in better tandem with their co-stars.

Lastly, the set was designed beautifully by Gem Greaves and the costumes were also accurate and reflected the time period. I think John Bale (Costume Designer) really captured the different styles for both women and the two children. I thought Miss Gidden’s dress was absolutely stunning and I was in awe of her.

On reflection, this show, unfortunately, wasn’t for me as I found it quite hard to follow, particularly in the final scene.

If you’re looking for a Halloween ghostly fix, you can still get tickets for this play directly from the theatre’s website until Saturday 28 October.