Filled with intensity and chilling atmosphere, Gash Theatre’s latest project doesn’t come across as coherent as it could do – despite the clever way in which it has been brought to life.
Step into the bizarre and unknown with this latest performance piece that focuses on deconstructing gender, sexuality, and fears of men in a stylish if somewhat underwritten way.
It begins with Maddie Flint and Nathalie Ellis-Einhorn on the run from something scary – their only escape is a red door but what they don’t know is that behind it is something more than they bargained for. During the course of the fifty minutes they are both taunted by a ghost in a deserted flat who is determined not to let them leave until they have learnt something important. Throughout it all the ghost uses the furniture and pots and pans as means of communicating with the girls and to pull them further into his world.
The first thing to say is that Gash Theatre Gets Ghosted is visually very cleverly put together – in particular the use of sound effects, puppetry and close up shots all come together effectively to create a haunting atmosphere that really draws the audience into the dark world created. Kristina Pringle’s cinematography had a very documentary style about it that brought to mind ‘The Blair Witch Project’, adding intensity to the piece.
Filled with lots of pop culture references in terms of film and pop songs, what the piece feels as though it is lacking is coherency in terms of its storyline that comes across as slightly confusing and offers snapshots rather than a strong narrative. However, this being said it is clear that a lot of thought has gone into ensuring that all aspects of subjects including masculinity, bisexuality and fear of men are effectively explored in clever ways.
Over the course of the fifty minutes, it is a very artistic piece of performance but it feels very disorientating to watch and just needs to have its purpose made clearer to ensure that the audience can still engage with it.
By Emma Clarendon
Gash Theatre Gets Ghosted is streaming online until the 24th April. To book tickets visit: https://www.cptheatre.co.uk/production/gash-theatre-gets-ghosted/
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐