Nosferatu

The Play

Nosferatu is based on part of the Bram Stokers Dracula story where Dracula has himself shipped from Varna to Whitby. It is centred around the hour before dawn when the sailors are nearing their destination.

The play takes a good look at life and talks about strange parts of life that not many people would have dared to think about back then – there are three sailors left and they are having a constant debate over whether God was real. One believes in science, one is Christian and the final one is very superstitious. They also look at life through the mortal eye, time, reality, why we are here and identity. They successfully 'unlock the terror that lurks in the sea of our unconscious minds'.

Nosferatu is a mild gothic horror – some parts were scary so would probably not be suitable for younger children but other parts were comic and funny.

The Actors

The actors had a great script to work with, including quotes from the acclaimed poet Ian McMillan. They were very convincing and when they sang they had good voices. They were very believable in their roles especially one of the characters who goes mad, I was convinced he had gone crazy. I felt they put a lot of effort into their roles.

Effects

They had a really good cellist who added to the plays music and accompanied them when they sang, her music added to the air of mystery and fear.

The lighting started out dim and dark to match the night time setting and rising the closer you got to dawn. They used the lighting to good effect to create suspense and match the actor's moods. I especially liked the part where there were a series of lightning flashes, during one flash a silhouette appeared but he had vanished in the next flash.

Music

The music was provided by the cast - one played a violin while others sang and used body percussion (stamping and clapping). A cellist accompanied the actors, she was not an actor but sat off in the corner on a chair playing with a microphone to assist her. The music added to the emotions of the scenes, for example, they started with a happy, jolly sailor song at the beginning and later on the music changed to evoke a more sombre and morbid mood. I enjoyed the musical elements (even found myself wanting to clap along with the sailor song) and was very impressed with the cellist.

Set

The set was quiet basic, they had a cabin (which was a simple box) with the deck on top, some sailcloth in the corner and a faded canvas of blues and whites (to indicate the mist and fog) as the backdrop. This simple set was less elaborate than previous plays I've seen but I felt its simplicity was crucial to the play as it made you focus on the acting and didn't distract you.

Style

This was an unusual play, it has creatively taken elements from gothic horror (typically set in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries they are characterised by a reliance on supernatural elements and dramatic spectacle of suffering – www.enotes.com/topics/gothic-drama) combined with songs suitable for a musical and comedy.

My Thoughts

This was a new style for me, quite unlike any plays I have ever been to see. It was unique and towards the end I can honestly say that I enjoyed it much more than at the beginning.

When I first read the flyer I expected a large cast with an elaborate set but it was a simple, single scene play that had good, convincing acting. It was very thought provoking and really made me think. At first I found they play confusing and couldn't quite tell what was going on but as it progressed I understood more and understood what their conversations were trying to portray.

I would rate this play 3.5 out of 5