Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford – until 21st June 2025
Reviewed by Heather Chalkley
4****
Director Alastair Whatley has cleverly taken age old Scottish folklore and turned it into a thrilling ghost story. You may of heard many versions of Selkie stories. This one will chill you to the bone! Selkies are shapeshifters that live in the sea as seals and emerge from the water, shedding their skins to appear in human form. The skin is hidden until they wish to return to the sea.
In the remote Scottish Highlands two women arrive at a former crofters hut in the deserted village of Coillie Ghille. Lovers with baggage. Caroline Harker (Suzanne) plays the older woman, married, with children. Harker is a believable character, showing all the anxt of a woman torn between loyalty to her family and love. Gracie Follows (Laura) has a past that is hidden and the crofters hut has a strange pull on her. Follows provides tension and jeopardy through her youthful exuberance. With no phone signal they are cut off from the outside world, drawn into the dark history of the croft and the previous people that lived there.
Liza Goddard (Enid) is a ghost with a yearning for her Selkie to return. She will do anything for her beloved croft, if only to see her Selkie again. Goddard is quite terrifying at times, chanting her spells, scattering soil to protect the croft.
The present interweaves with the past as Follows slips between Laura of the hear and now and Eileen of the past. Follows adeptly plays the two characters distinctly differently, taking us back and forth to a time when the croft was on the edge of a village community.
The sad story of Laura’s mother is played out by Harker as Ruth. Harker brings a warmth to the character that keeps the story grounded. Simon Roberts (Tom) is the vicar father that gives context and that guarded emotion associated with English men.
Gray O’Brien (David) brings the story together, giving his character a confidence and self assurance that is in counterbalance to Tom.
The role of women has changed over the generations in many ways, however we still face challenges, battling the stereotypes. The undercurrent to this story is the fight for independence and our vulnerability if we fight that battle alone.