Greywing House:Written and performed by Mary Beth Morossa.
Attended: Sunday 24th May 2015 @10pm, Brighton Theatre Box.
This is a story-telling cabaret act. Through poetry and puppetry, Mary Beth Morossa single-handedly delivers a darkly gothic, compellingly haunting tale.
Morossa, in the role of Miss Amelia, unfortunate proprietress of Greywing House, welcomes you into the midst of her bleak sur-reality. Convincingly acting the part of flustered, overworked hostess, her occasional erratic outbursts and involuntary eye-rolling, perfectly portray a woman on the edge of insanity.
Miss Amelia is grief stricken after losing her husband, and her father-in -law before him, to a monstrous unknown creature who, after they'd tinkered with unorthodox scientific observations, summoned them into the depths of the sea beyond Greywing House,. Whilst she sleeps, Miss Amelia is similarly called to the ocean, seeking her husband and also trying to resist the pull of the creature. In the day, she's unaware of the events of the night. She discovers things moved, her clothes wet and she's deranged by weariness.
In the portrayal of the risks of the scientific endeavours undertaken by the father-in-law, and the family link to the son and subsequently to Miss Amelia, the story feels like a H.P.Lovecraft creation. The non-human creature in the sea and the forbidden knowledge all take their inspiration from Lovecraft. At the same time, the description of Greywing House and the bizarre characters residing there, all sound like Roahld Dahl inventions; whilst the make-up, set design and the shadow puppetry tell of a Tim Burton Influence.
The themes of isolation, grief and despair weigh heavily in true Gothic style. The minimalistic make-up and costume and the sparse set combine to create a melancholic feel. Daniel Cross's music creates atmosphere, most effectively when high pitch notes, like breaking glass, accompany Miss Amelia to the very edge of sanity. Flash back footage by Steve Edwin, which is projected onto the window, cleverly gives the audience a view of the scene beyond, revealing Miss Amelia's relentless nightly trauma. The challenge of a one woman show, must surely be the scene and costume changes? The audience is barely aware of these moments, as the film excerpts create an engaging diversion; allowing Miss Amelia to change off stage and return as though from her bedroom, after sleeping.
Un-realised dreams of family life are replaced by affectionate regard for the dysfunctional guests who, in a sinister twist, are off stage using animal body parts to restore a dead loved one to life.
Symbolically, Morossa 's puppetry simultaneously conjures life from a threadbare lace throw, re-enacting the tragic folk tale of a bride's ill-fated wedding day. The metaphors and symbolism add an emotionally oppressive tone to the show.
Once inside the makeshift theatre created from shipping containers, the audience is immersed in the desolate world of Greywing house. Competing emotions of beauty, sympathy, horror and disgust engage the audience and make it hard to adjust back to reality when the metal doors swing open.
The late night viewing is recommended for age 16 plus, but the angst and despair would be familiar territory to most teenagers, so I would recommend this show to ages thirteen plus.
I was blown away by the acting and puppetry and thoroughly recommend this show to anyone who enjoys the horror genre. Because of Mary Beth's skill, I could easily have enjoyed a much longer show, with further use of the props and puppets.
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