Icarus
Theatre Collective at the Cramphorn Theatre, Chelmsford
27.09.16
HP
Lovecraft's cult classic from the early 30s is a natural for the
stage.
It's
narrated in the first person by geologist William Dyer, reluctantly
reliving the horrors of the past in order to dissuade others from
following in his snow-tracks to the white, dead world of the
Antarctic.
Other
voices are quoted. In this uncomplicated adaptation they emanate from
the old-fashioned wireless receiver, part of an evocative soundscape
with music by Theo Holloway.
Icarus
Theatre's hour-long version trims the text of some of its worst
excesses, concentrating on the narrative and the mounting sense of
buried horror. There's little to distract from the voice and the
visions it conjures up: the shimmering medieval castles and the
towering cathedrals of the ice cap, the
arcane animals, the
sculptures left by the Old Ones [Lovecraft's Elder Things], the
giant eyeless penguins.
Dyer
is played by Tim Hardy, who adapted the piece with director Max
Lewendel. His
compelling voice, often subdued and broken with emotion, skilfully
draws
the audience into the tale.
The
show is impressively polished technically, with the timing of
the sound and light impeccable. The setting is simple, with a
lectern,
a chest,
a chair, a lantern and the radio, and on the floor, a pentagon of
Persian rugs …
We
see the terrors only in our mind's eye, but who needs CGI with such a
captivating story-teller ?
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