Antwerp Mansion, Manchester – Until 25th October 2018.
Reviewed by Joseph Everton
5*****
Away from the bustle of Manchester’s Rusholme, down a deserted side street, through the autumn decay, hidden in the gloom and here lies Antwerp Mansion. Clinging onto life by exposed nails, reincarnated by layers of fluorescent graffiti, the ramshackle venue playing host to Obscura Theatre’s debut production, Fell, was the perfect backdrop to this chilling piece of folk horror, set in the valleys of Cumbria.
We, the unsettled audience, were led from the half lit bar area, up candle lit stairs and to our seats. I sat before the mountainous set, before a movable door, wondering what lay behind it. Some were perched in camp chairs; most keen not to sit at the at the extremes of the room, where they might be dragged away into the shadows. A low rolling bass-line played and a sharp erratic banging sound added to an ever building sense of foreboding.
Then we were introduced to the performers, Florence Rose King as Detective Jane Shipley, who had travelled out of her jurisdiction to attend to a new case, and Sean McGlynn as Beckett. The plot centred around the disappearance of Beckett’s daughter, a disappearance that this disconcerting character surely had something to do with.
Shipley’s narration guided the audience through a cycle of meetings between the characters at Beckett’s home and an uncomfortable introduction to the landlord at the local pub. Although warned not to go, Shipley journeyed to the fell where Obscura Theatre explore the use of fantasy and, later, the demons in their Detective’s conscience, which was riddled with old guilt and grief.
The involving and immersive use of sound and staging was effective and ensured that the audience felt part of the tale, our skin prickling uncomfortably as Shipley’s fear built and the volume increased. I wanted to be scared and, at times, I really was. I could have watched Fell a dozen times and still left the room with more questions than answers but it was an engaging experience nonetheless.
Fell is a spooky watch and a perfect Halloween treat, running at Antwerp Mansion in Manchester until Thursday 25th October.