What Monsters Do
Etcetera Theatre
26th October 2013

★★★★☆

Having previously played a grotesque body-horror character called Chatterer in Hellraiser I and II, Nicholas Vince knows how appearance can shock. But in his anthology What Monsters Do, he shifts the focus onto actions, rather than looks. Two of these short stories, Tunes From the Music Hall and Green Eyes have been adapted for the stage, and whilst the storylines and settings don't immediately fit, it's the idea of the human capacity for evil which links them and creates a gripping hour of horror inside a black box theatre.

In the first piece, a lonely ghost (Doug Colling) is delighted to see his former landlord, Albright (Mark Philip Compton) rent out the house to a young family. However, after a trip abroad which sees husband Rudolf (Craig Hannah) spend an inappropriate length of time with new friend Angelo (Harpreet Chaggar), the problems with his wife, Bella (Tara Howard) bubble angrily to the surface. As the ghost helplessly watches Bella and little Victoria (voiced by Tallulah Ward) be neglected by Rudolf, the ghost's own story begins to intertwine with theirs.

The Victorian costumes are all beautifully finished and set the piece immediately, it comes as no surprise to hear they've (justifiably in this instance) come from the National Theatre on loan. Original music by Peter Davis and Paul Thompson gives a melancholic feel, keeping up the gothic tone between scene changes. And Kayla Holyrod does a terrific job of blinding and disfiguring Colling's character. There's a clear attention to detail, both in this and the play that follows.

Green Eyes has a much less serious tone. Justinian (Compton) and Sally (Melanie Fenn) prepare for the arrival of young visitor Davis (Colling), overseen by the narrator (Craig Hannah). Much of the humour comes from the ridiculously moody scowls of Justinian and the long awkward pauses. Director Phillip North's hand is felt more keenly here, he shows great flair in translating Green Eyes from a short story into a blackly comic piece of theatre.

Rather than holding a toy cat, Justinian spends an inordinate amount of time stroking a burnt orange pillow. There's a hint of Bond villain to his actions and also of general madness. From the very beginning, he strikes us as unhinged, bizarre, possibly some sort of secret axe murder. He continually bursts out with socially inappropriate comments and actions which are both menacing and petulant at the same time. There's a distinctive, unsettling kind of humour to Green Eyes, which gives rise to plenty of laughter.

Colling as well seems to relish the opportunity to take on a more playful role. Both the ghost and the visitor are well-mannered young men, but there's a darkness to the ghost's behaviour which just isn't visible here.

Overall, What Monsters Do is a perfectly judged production for the London Horror Festival. It's a piece sympathetic to its original text but that manages to extrapolate it into something more without issue. But, most importantly, it genuinely unnerves despite a distinct lack of gore.

What Monsters Do opened on 25th October and runs until 27th October 2013 at the Etcetera Theatre.

Nearest tube station: Camden Town (Northern)