Gothenburg English Studio Theatre is known for bringing the macabre to the stage. With previous smash-hits such as The Woman in Black and Ghost Stories, it’s no wonder that the horror show of the Fringe Festival debuted at GEST. Mork is an anthology play performed by local company Theatre of Menace, exploring two sub-genres of horror.
The first act saw two police officers hunt down the gruesome serial killer known only as ‘The Butcher’, and focussed on the psychological horror of one’s descent into madness. Using flickering streetlamps, weird noises and sometimes total darkness, the atmosphere was palpable. A huge commendation to the costume department for the amazing period pieces (especially the beautiful Victorian style dress worn by Lisa Johansson) further reinforced the Jack The Ripper style vibe of the play.
The journey to madness is not a plummet, it is a descent. Chris O’Reilly captured this really well and you could almost see the fabric of his character’s mind unraveling at the seams. Even the makeup changed throughout the journey of the play, with undereye circles getting darker, hands getting shakier, and voice getting louder. Joined on stage by Brian Coughlan, he is the personification of our rational thought, trying his hardest to reason with the madness within. The play was highly successful and seriously creepy.
The second act of the play saw the set completely change from the dank Victorian alleyways to a ship on a darkened sea. Performed by Brian Bonafilia and Erik Sjösten Andersson this piece teased out the fear of the unknown. The mind can play nasty tricks on you when you are alone and scared in the dark. Haunted by ghostlights and constantly waiting for something to jump out, this was my favourite of the two and a brilliant homage to the primordial monsters of H.P Lovecraft. Once again the costume department excelled with the hunched long-fingered monster, although it was sort of a relief to finally see the threat after anticipating fear for so long.
Mork was a great success and despite a limited run during the festival I would expect to see it resurface in the coming months. Keep an eye out around Halloween!
Ceri Taylor
