His Ghostly Heart

Review by Andrew Chadwick | 09 Aug 2009

Ben Schiffer, staff-writer on the inexplicably popular E4 teen drama Skins turns his hand to something rather more philosophical here, teaming up with The Girl Next Door theatre company for a 30 minute, one act play staged almost entirely in complete darkness with only two characters and a bed. This may not leave much room for theatrical frills; but director Dan Herd certainly makes the most of a minimal setup in this flawed but engaging piece of theatre about denial, selfishness and ego, in which some seemingly innocuous pillow talk between a young couple, becomes a search for the truth in their relationship.

As the tension builds from friendly bickering to a series of increasingly bitter exchanges more is revealed about the nature of their relationship, the darkness imposed upon the setting only enhancing the unsettling atmosphere. Despite patches of weak dialogue, this tension is sustained throughout until the single, brief moment of light at the close, a strikingly effective piece of stage direction that brings the play's central theme to its natural conclusion.

It's a pity then that the dialogue occasionally feels forced and overcooked, as if wedged in to reiterate a point more forcefully where it really wasn't needed, causing the characters to sound unnatural in a setting where they should sound everyday and familiar. Yet these flaws are disguised by the intense atmosphere this play creates, and made up for by its compelling, disquieting finale.

http://www.girlnextdoortheatre.co.uk/