The Croft @ Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

They say it’s good to get away. Right?

When Laura, played with spunk by Gracie Follows, whisks her much older partner Suzanne (Caroline Harker) off to her family’s remote croft in the Highlands, she is eager for them both to embrace the peace and quiet, and to appreciate the long starry nights and brisk dips in the sea. 

However, The Croft – a thriller written by Ali Milles and directed by Alastair Whatley – promises them much more, as tales of the past and the pull of the present violently tug them in different directions. A tight set designed by Adrian Linford holds the audience captive in the front room of the croft for the duration of the play. The basic room houses a few armchairs, a fireplace dressed with fairy lights, a small kitchen and a rocking chair, where no one living chooses to sit.

This lack of escape from the croft is the effective starting point for the gradual building of tension through the course of this haunting performance, which sees ghosts from the past walk across the old stone floors as the threads of their tale begin to weave into the present. Liza Goddard is excellent as Enid, a former inhabitant of the croft who shares her story and her determination never to part from its walls. 

However, amid tales of selkies emerging from the sea, flickering lights, and things which go bump in the night, there is also a great deal of heart at the centre of The Croft. The raw ache of grief, the joy of being together, love and loss seep through the walls as the tale unravels. 

This is a play to get lost in. A haunting story effectively told, but one which will leave you with questions rather than conclusions at its end. The Croft will remain with you well after you leave your seat. After all, the sign of a good break is lots of lingering memories. 

---

The Croft, Festival Theatre, run ended
capitaltheatres.com/shows/the-croft/