The Moors – The Hope Theatre, London

A review of The Moors in its UK premiere at London’s Hope Theatre. This darkly comic, immersive production brings the surrealist Gothic text to life.

The Moors

You’ve probably read some Gothic fiction before. Maybe something by Emily Brontë, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker. Ringing any bells? Well the writer of today’s play, Jen Silverman, is counting on it. Her work The Moors takes the Gothic atmosphere and supercharges it. There’s some proper horror (terrible fates that we never see on stage), an uneasy feeling that things are ‘not quite right’, and even a subplot which explores that brand of controlling, consuming love the Gothic writers had such a penchant for.

Written originally for Yale Rep, its first UK outing is at the Hope Theatre under director Phil Bartlett. The Hope’s upstairs space seems surprisingly small at first when arranged in the round. But it’s actually a perfect metaphor for the feeling the characters have of being trapped. It also leads to some clever directorial choices, for instance having cast members sit among the audience between their scenes like their characters have ceased to exist when they’re not before us. We are complicit in building the atmosphere for the evening.

Sophia Pardon’s set design supports this immersive experience. Its decayed grandeur spreads across the floors, the walls, the ceiling. Likewise Julian Starr’s comprehensive sound design. It’s lucky that all creative parts come together, because this play really is a little mad, something you need to relax into and take as it comes. Is there already a genre for Gothic surrealism? If not, we’ve got the benchmark here. If you’re unsure what I mean by this, I suspect for instance this is the only place on the London stage right now where you can see a philosophising dog mark the scene changes.

Early Career Talent

The Moors reminds me in a very specific sense of Yeast Nation, which I recently saw at the Southwark Playhouse. That specific sense is that both are plays which only work if the cast are fully and consistently committed and giving it 100%. Any sign of lacklustre performance and the large suspension of disbelief required of the audience would be broken. Luckily, this commitment is very firmly the case in The Moors.

Bartlett, also the artistic director of the Hope Theatre, has cast early career actors who have graduated since the start of the pandemic. There is some real talent here. Meredith Lewis excels as Emilie, the newcomer who is the audience’s avatar into the weirdness of this household on the desolate moors. She also has an excellent singing voice. Peter Hadfield and Matilda Childs get us invested in a cross-species relationship between anthropomorphised animals, which is a tall order delivered masterfully. And for me a standout was Tamara Fairbairn as Marjory. Or was that Mallory? Or Margaret? As so often, the maid is the cipher for the unnerving goings on in the world of The Moors, and Fairbairn’s hilariously deadpan delivery sets the darkly comic tone.

Like The Canterville Ghost, this is another good pick for a Halloween theatre outing. The team at the Hope Theatre are welcoming, and there’s even a punk bar in the basement if you fancy extending your evening. I can see how the play itself wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you embrace it there is a lot of fun (and the odd spooky thrill) to be had. Finally, a special shout out to stage manager Summer Keeling who handled a literal showstopper (a ‘naughty light’) professionally on the night I visited and got us back on track quickly and painlessly. Unsung heroes, stage managers!

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 4/5

The Moors on until 5 November 2022