Culture

Directed by: Ben Blakely and Alex Wilson

Theatre du Grind Guignol was the first evening production at Allen Hall this year, and what a great welcome home it was! Seeing familiar faces and taking a warm break inside from the rain felt great until the programme wished us “a terrifying evening”. Now, for those who know me, you will realise I’m not one to watch horror movies. When talking about the show before hand someone explained, “do you like Hostel, or Saw? It’s kind of like that.” No. I don’t like those at all, but I soldiered on. And I’m glad I did.

The performance was compiled of three short plays, Firenze, La Casa del Diablo, and The Tramp. They each consisted of grimy, dark tales of violence and madness with interjected moments of comedy leaving you unsure and on edge. You’d let your guard down laughing and then jump out of your seat a second later. All in all, it was a stunning performance. All the blood and screaming was fantastic, especially when mixing with the faint sound of the torrential rain outside. It really made the atmosphere.

It was also great to see a cast which associated with comedy performances take on serious and haunting roles and, most satisfyingly, pull them off – whether as a German hiker or a sleazy gangster.

If you missed out on these performances, never fear, as The Tramp is coming to Allen Hall again this week for Lunchtime Theatre. I refuse to give anything away, but I’ll be sure to come along to watch people getting a fright. And trust me, it will happen! Though I came away from the evening slightly wounded (a mixture of clinging on tightly to my friend, and her getting a fright and hitting me in the face) it was excellent, never a dull moment. I would love to see it all again, even if I did keep an eye on the shadows in my room for a few nights afterwards.

See The Tramp this Thursday and Friday at 1pm at Allen Hall Theatre