Park Theatre – until 31 December 2022
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
A supernatural story for Christmastime is always a delight when you’ve had your fill of panto and Scrooge. The unexplained disappearance of the three wickies (lighthouse keepers) from the Flannan Isles lighthouse in December 1900 has inspired many theories, and Paul Morrissey’s atmospheric play presents a prosaic explanation alongside more mysterious possibilities.
Experienced wickies James Ducat (Ewan Stewart) and Donald MacArthur (Graeme Dalling) were joined by occasional keeper Thomas Marshall (Jamie Quinn) because of the illness of their usual third man. As they settle in and the wind howls around the lighthouse, MacArthur increases Marshall’s unease by explaining why it is now a stag light – men only – and telling the story of the first lighthouse keeper om the island, and the fate of his family. The effect this has on Marshall, despite Ducat’s stoic reassurances that MacArthur is just winding him up, stops him sleeping and he is soon jumping at shadows. This would seem a laughable if cruel joke without the incredible production design. Zoë Hurwitz’s set – the sparse kitchen of the lighthouse with imposing bare stone walls – becomes more and more claustrophobic as the wind and sea rage outside. Nik Paget-Tomlinson’s sound design gets under your skin, with weird taps and knocks that never allow your brain to ignore the constant noise. Bethany Gupwell’s lighting varies between ethereal and oppressive as the narrative unfolds, and the overall design creates a foreboding and expectant atmosphere, as if the stones of the lighthouse itself are waiting for a reckoning. This is a place on the edge of civilisation where it is easy to believe the old gods still rule.
Paul Morrissey’s multi-layered script veers from fish out of water comedy as Marshall learns the ropes to psychological drama to ghostly mystery, and sweeps the audience along for the ride thanks to Shilpa T-Hyland’s assured direction. The hard life and toll on mental health are portrayed by the exhaustion and boredom of the men in between watches and chores – the action only leaves the kitchen once. Sea shanties act as scene transitions and break the tension. The aftermath of the incident, and the known facts, are presented with a change of lighting by the cast in the words of the men who first landed on the island and the investigators. Marshall’s descent from cheerful optimist into terror is played beautifully by Jamie Quinn, and his clashes with the dour and dramatic MacArthur are well-judged as the mood changes in an instant. Graeme Dalling is magnetic as MacArthur, portraying the character’s fear and despair wordlessly just as convincingly as the anger at his situation. Ewan Stewart as Ducat is the heart of the play, appearing to be the old hand calming the others’ emotions at first, with a finely nuanced slow reveal of his true feelings and his avoidance of them explaining so much from Stewart’s subtle portrayal of a man on the edge.
The mundane but dangerous nature of the work leads to one explanation from the replacement wickie, but the tales of the haunted island, frightening glimpses of phantoms and shadows and other stage illusions from John Bulleid leave the audience believing something more arcane had a hand.
Spooky without being sensational, Wickies is a chillingly claustrophobic ghost story that is perfect viewing on dark winter nights.