As Ye Sow Review

Submitted by Alex Eades on Mon, 20 Aug '12 7.22pm
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Edinburgh Festival review
Rating (out of 5)
4
Show info
Company
Theatre Of The Damned & Bare Bawds Theatre
Production
Tom Richards (director), Stewart Pringle (writer), George Warren (producer), Alice Saville (designer)
Performers
Jeffrey Mayhew (Clifford), Scarlet Sweeney (Susan), John Garfield-Roberts (Electrician), Stephanie Walls (Nurse)
Running time
60mins

It seems to me that the best horrors have a recognisable sense of reality. The world is as real as the one you and I inhabit, with all of its comforts and banal details. But when something extraordinary begins to disrupt the natural rhythm, its significance and menace rocks the senses. Leaving us all pondering, if it can happen to them, can it happen to us?

As Ye Sow doesn’t seem like a ghost story at all, for the most part. It does that smart thing that all true great spooky tales do: it convinces you that it is something else.

Clifford, now living at a care home, is being plagued by the common inconveniences of age. Mobility and a slowing mind frustrate an already grumpy personality that complains about everything from the noise upstairs to the chocolates on the livingroom table.

But things are happening around him that he doesn’t understand. Odd noises and horrific images. Is this all the creation of a softening mind? Or a tortured past come to introduce him to hell.

As Ye Sow is a great little play, packed with brilliant performances from start to finish. Jeffry Mayhew moulds a character that we like and feel sorry for, yet we question his past and his relationship with his then wife.

It is sinister and scary, especially during the second half when we are not sure what is real and what is not. And the very end…well, I won’t ruin that for you.

If you want a nice little lunchtime scare to wake you up for the afternoon, then I recommend this surprising little gem.

Show Times: Aug 20th-27th, 12:00pm

Ticket Prices: Aug 20th-23rd, 27th: £10.00 (£8.00). Aug 24th-26th: 12.00, £11.50 (£10.00)