Bagpipes and a full Scottish-themed menu welcome audiences to the Mill at Sonning, transporting them from the Home Counties to the Highlands for an evening of Scottish spooks with the theatre’s production of The Whistling.
Adapted from a novel by local Reading-based author Rebecca Netley, by Duncan Abel and Rachel Wagstaff, The Whistling sees Elspeth Swansome (Rebecca Forsyth) arrive on the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea to act as nanny to Mary, who has recently lost both her mother and her brother, and seen her latest nanny disappear without trace.
Mary hasn’t spoken since her brother’s death and Elspeth is tasked with drawing her out of her shell so that she can avoid being moved to an asylum on the mainland. But the more time she spends on Skelthsea, the more she realises all is not as it seems.
Forsyth makes a strong lead as Elspeth, interacting well with the rest of the cast and drawing the audience into her story. Elsewhere, one of the strongest performances comes from Heather Jackson as Ailsa, deemed the madwoman of the island for her belief in the old ways.
The theme of the evening is dark and spooky, with a monotone set from Diego Pitarch and the cast dressed all in black costumes designed by Natalie Titchener, while lighting design from Richard G. Jones adds to the atmosphere, often relying on lanterns to cut through the gloom.
Some of the greatest strengths of the production come from movement direction from director Joseph Pitcher and assistant director Alex Christian, with the scene changes in particular beautifully choreographed.
The show also employs the services of illusionist Guy Barrett to add to the scare factor, with some clever tricks taking place throughout the show, the scares often enhanced by sound design from Simon Arrowsmith.
However, despite the strengths of the creative team, the plot often moves too slowly to hold the audience’s attention. There are some strong scenes, particularly at the end of the first act, but the show often fails to build up the necessary tension between these.
There are also a number of insufficiently-developed plot threads within the piece, most notably Elspeth’s backstory with her sister, which is often hinted at but never fully explored.
With a promising concept but some development required, The Whistling may not deliver as many scares as expected, but it will keep audiences waiting to learn its secrets.
The Whistling runs at the Mill at Sonning until 16 November. For more information and tickets, follow the link here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Pamela Raith
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