Whispering in the Dark

Venue 13

13-24

17.30

£6

This play set off from Los Angteles, crossed the Pacific picking up its subject, then traversed half the world to settle amidst the salubrious surrounds of Venue 13’s pleasant theatre near the bottom of the Royal Mile. That subject, then, is those two teenage lesbians who shocked both New Zealand & the world by the crude & callous slaying of one of the girl’s mother.

However, this is no simple retelling of the tale, but a garish nightmare of two souls haunted in torment following the demise of their earthly lives. For an hour the audience is privy to their painful purgatory, as the two actresses fence intellectually, sexually & emotionally, occasionally recreate the scenes which led to their ghastly crime.

The dialogue offered up by by director/writer Kaiso Hill is unremitting, enacted at fast pace which is a credit to the actresses training & memory. These, Caitlin Teeley & Kat Ortiz, give us an energetic show & some of the best acting I’ve seen this festival, pouring realistic emotions into their performances.  THREE STARS

Reviewer – Damo Bullen