Hannah Ellis Ryan’s HER Productions presents HUSK by Rupert Hill, Director Joseph Houston.
We were delighted to visit the lovely and welcoming Hope Mill Theatre once again and very intrigued and excited to see the second night of this new production written by Rupert Hill knowing just a little about it. A man is released from prison, a woman and her husband are holidaying with her Father – how are these people linked?
As always, Hope Mill has a great intimate feel to their productions, the sound quality is excellent and this creates an atmosphere of audience involvement right from the start.
The staging was very simple and the lighting changes were most effective in setting each scene, anything from a home, the street, prison, outdoors, a pub.
The story is told by going backwards and forwards in time, from the 1980’s to present day and it unfolds without confusion as the date stamps at the bottom of projected images and footage on the stage keep the focus on the timeline, the projections had an almost ghostly grainy quality which adds to the mystery of the unfolding story.
The main character ( played by Rupert Hill himself, which was a very pleasant surprise ) has had a rocky start to life and appears vulnerable and lonely. There is hope for him with a developing friendship with a girl from school and he is seen to be taken under the wing of an adult who seemingly takes on the role of a parent, and becomes a strong influence on him, but not always for the good.
He is then seen to have been sent to prison, though we don’t find out why until much later on. A friendship develops during this time though he is not always able to keep his head down out of trouble, much to his mentors frustration. A focus on physical strength eventually gives him an opportunity to break free from addiction.
His life after release is one of loneliness, homelessness and turmoil and someone extending the hand of friendship is fraught with tensions. There are conflicts, anger and resentment, thoughts of revenge. Addiction raises its head again on a self destructive path.
The 5 characters were brilliantly written and acted, they had a depth and humanity that made you think about all of them long after the performance was over. They were flawed and likeable at the same time. The humour layered in with the violent and dark side was beautifully done, never jarring, it worked perfectly. Lots of chuckles from the audience and lots of shocked gasps too. Could have heard a pin drop at times, the audience was completely focused.
The stand out for us was the main character who was spellbinding through all of his scenes- vulnerable, angry, broken, lost, and seemingly without redemption and the prison inmate who was feisty and also very funny. The final scenes were just perfect, a wonderful experience. An absolutely outstanding performance and production. Highly recommended!
Thank you to the Hope Mill team and HER Productions!
HUSK is on until 29th September TICKETS then also at Dukes Theatre Lancaster from 2nd to 3rd October.
Christine Ince for Canal St Media/ Ancoats Plus.
