The Curse of the Werewolf
Lycanthropy is a form of madness in which men and women imagine themselves to be beasts.
Even more dramatically, it also refers to the actual transformation of a person into a wolf. Absurd of course, but Ken Hill’s genre-breaking play appeals to the weird part in all of us that would like to believe in that.
It could be plain silly, but an experienced cast, directed by Andrew Lynford, pulls off a potentially uneasy combination of music, melodrama, Hammer horror and hilarity. As the programme promises, it leaves us “howling with laughter”.
We begin in 1890 in the Gothic graveyard, swirling with dry ice, of Walpurgisdorf Church.
In the first of a series of swift shifts to reassuring normality, we then find ourselves in Walpurgisdorf Castle in 1922 and the presence of the no-nonsense, frightfully British Dr and Mrs Bancroft, played by the gentle Hugh Futcher and Sarah Whitlock, as his formidable wife.
The thrilling menace returns with the arrival of the dashing, but also gnashing Baron von Heilman (Daniel Brocklebank), who whisks coquettish young Kitty Bancroft (Alexis Caley) off her feet.
Ultimately, however, Gareth Watkins as the trusty D’Arcy shines through with his winning delivery of lines like “even my feet are in love”.
Production information
- By:
- Ken Hill, who also composes with Ian Armit
- Management:
- The Union Theatre
- Cast:
- Mark Waite, Hugh Futcher, Sarah Whitelock, Alexis Caley, James Horne, Kirstie Senior, Rob Lyon, Simon Nader, Dan Brocklebank
- Director:
- Andrew Lynford
- Musical direction:
- Andrew Swift
Production information can change over the run of the show.
Run sheet
- Union London
- September 6-22 2007
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