Gaslight - Review by Alice Wordsworth | British Youth Music Theatre

Gaslight - Review by Alice Wordsworth

**** (4.5 Stars)

Salisbury Playhouse - Friday 7 February, 2014

Written in 1938 by Patrick Hamilton, Gaslight is a psychological thriller that will keep you gripped until the very end. With its roots in Victorian melodrama the play explores the darker side of human nature in the domestic environment; ‘where innocence is menaced by evil'.

It is also a fascinating reflection of the claustrophobic life many Victorian women lived, imprisoned in the house by their husbands, where the intimate details of their marriages were observed and analysed by domestic staff.

Laura Pyper reveals these constraints and the mental suffering of Bella Manningham by developing a clipped accent and nervous mannerisms, at times resembling the manner of a child seeking approval, rather than a wife in charge of a household. Daniel Pirrie, as the husband, captures the menace and brutality of Mr Manningham. The patronising tone he adopts when speaking to his wife reflects the dominance of the male in the nineteenth century. However, in this curious domestic world it is impossible to know who is telling the truth – husband or wife – and the subservient comments of the staff add further mystery and suspense to the performance.

An enclosed environment is created with the use of an industrial lowered ceiling that hangs ominously over the room. Occasionally footsteps can be heard from above which enhance the suffocating and mysterious atmosphere. The lighting effectively casts eerie shadows about the auditorium and green lights are also used to add to the haunting effect. Gaslights are a focal feature of the set and throw very little light onto the stage, mirroring the audience’s hazey understanding of the facts. My colleague even thought there was a temperature drop and chill in the air at one point…

Gaslight is a chilling production and Mrs Manningham’s plight remains in our thoughts long after the curtain falls.

Gaslight is running at the Salisbury Playhouse until Saturday 1 March 2014 - you can book tickets here: http://salisburyplayhouse.com/page/gaslight 

Gaslight - Photo by Richard Davenport