Matt vs Living Nightmare
Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@cleric20) at The Market Theatre, Hitchin
“The dead are never completely absent…”
Which is excellent news for those who appreciate gothic entertainment, but less reassuring for anyone hoping their royal skeletons might stay safely in the cupboard. I went to the opening night of Living Nightmare which is a deliciously dark revenge-em-up that puts Katherine Lea and Nicola Hurst within plotting distance of each other and unleashes untold psychological nastiness.
Be warned, this is rum stuff. Our rival queens bring enough ambition and dangerous intent to make Lady Macbeth consider joining a mediation service, but it’s the excellently human hunger beneath the royal entitlement that gives this confrontation its bite.
Lea and Hurst are terrific together, making duplicity dangerously watchable as their battle shifts between simmering threat and heightened stakes in the confines a dark, very possibly haunted underground chamber.
The Market Theatre’s intimate confines, really work to immerse in this nasty piece which will please those who want something to ratchet up psychological tense to the point where sanity itself is questioned.
The stage work is excellent, and it’s aided by some great lighting and soundscape too. One poor chap along from me in the front row jumped and yelped at one point and the whole audience was awash with communal horror as the levels of darkness keep escalating to the shocking climax.
There’s something particularly satisfying about finding this much gothic goodness on your doorstep rather than having to drag yourself into London for it. Living Nightmare gives two compelling performers the chance to get royally under your skin, and they seize it with wicked relish. Go and indulge your darker appetites, preferably with somebody whose hand you’re allowed to squeeze…
Darkmatters: ö ö ö ö ö
(5 deliciously tarnished crowns out of 5)
I got the change to ask the evil queens some q's
I asked them ‘where did you find inspiration for your characters?’
Katherine looked to Queen Caroline and Bloody Mary. Nicola drew on a lifelong love of period drama, Shakespeare’s women, exploring what drives her character as a human being navigating a man’s world.
What’s your favourite scary story, film, book or play?
Katherine’s tastes lean towards the gothic, particularly Jane Eyre and The Yellow Wallpaper. Nicola admits to being a bit of a wimp when it comes to horror, but picks The Woman in Black.
Do you believe in ghosts, or have you experienced anything paranormal?
Katherine’s mum is convinced she has seen a ghost, while Katherine points to the palpable atmosphere certain spaces can hold. Nicola is undecided, but leaves room for things we cannot explain.
How much fun is it to keep ramping up the horror for the audience?
For Katherine, playing the duplicity is a particular pleasure. Nicola describes the challenge of starting with such high stakes and then finding the peaks and troughs, rather than simply pushing harder throughout. Her description of their onstage duel? A “gothic tennis match” which, frankly, deserves its own category at Wimbledon if you ask me!!
Photo credit @glyndoggett
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