Find out how critics have been reacting to Carmen Nasr’s stage adaptation of the film by Babak Anvari.
WhatsOnStage: “The mix is intriguing and always watchable. There’s something compelling about how unexpectedly Under the Shadow twists and turns, and its portrait of people living with terror has strong contemporary resonance as war once more rips through the Middle East.”
All That Dazzles: “It can be easy to dismiss an entire genre like I had previously done with horror on stage, but the lesson I have learned is that it is incredibly difficult to label any show to make it fit in a box. Under The Shadow is the perfect example of that.”
The Reviews Hub: “Leila Farzad is excellent as Shideh, a woman trapped in her home in lots of ways, limited by a society that won’t let her fulfil her potential, a country that she must hide herself and her Americanised aerobics videos from, and a home life full of pressures to have more children and be a perfect cake-baking mother. Erin Jemmotte as sulky pre-teen Dorsa is first to sense something amiss, while Mona Goodwin and Nadia Albina provide excellent support as neighbours also struggling to reconcile the strain of war on their doorstep.”
Theatre & Tonic: “While the production’s thematic intentions are clear, its horror remains somewhat externalised. A deeper exploration of the characters’ psychological deterioration might have made the work even more compelling. If the audience were able to perceive more clearly that the Djinn functions as an outward manifestation of the characters’ inner anxieties, the production could achieve even greater emotional and intellectual depth.”
Theatre Vibe: ” Horror stories rely on a number of factors, belief, timing, build up and shocks. Scott Penrose is the illusionist. I am not going to tell you about what happens but something occurs that had the entire audience react with screams and gasps – just right. Well done to all!”
Partially Obstructed View: “This is definitely a slow build that doesn’t even get its first jump-scare in until just before the interval, but the work Nadia Latif’s production has put into building the scene and the characters pays off, keeping us interested in the story and invested in them getting out of danger – both the human and supernatural kind.”
The Stage: “Adaptation of Babak Anvari’s horror thriller set during the Iran-Iraq war struggles to grip.”
London Theatre.co.uk: “Anvari’s near-perfect film would be almost impossible to do justice to on stage, but Shideh’s conundrum remains the stuff of nightmares.”
The Guardian: “But the strength of Nadia Latif’s suspenseful, fluidly directed production lies in its interlocking relationship between action and metaphor. Even as we interpret the djinn as a manifestation of Shideh’s internalised anger from her lifetime of oppression, that doesn’t make it any less terrifying – as proved by the nerve-shredding jumpscare at the end of act one.”
Everything Theatre: “The horror builds to a powerful conclusion that also resolves a key character conflict for Shideh, thus being dramatic and narratively satisfying. The final monologue, delivered as the light dwindles and a single spotlight focuses on Shideh and Dorsa, is a poignant note to finish on. Under the Shadow balances many different types of tension to create an intense experience that is genuinely scary and has important insights into life under war and the Iranian regime.”
Under the Shadow continues to play until the 4th July.