A Quiet Light | Baron's Court Theatre

It’s the end of the world. Land is scarce and in the midst of the vast expanse of sea, there is an isolated lighthouse. When Ray’s boat crashes on the rocks, he doesn’t expect to find a young woman living there alone…or is she? Stranded together with the promise of a supply ship arriving in a week, they begin to unravel…

After a lot of drafting and re-drafting, this show was further developed as part of the Menagerie Young Writers Workshop. When it was performed as a rehearsed reading, Pretty Gross Productions Company saw it and decided to take it into production. The current run at Baron's Court Theatre marks the show's official debut.  

It's worth noting straight off the bat the distinct lack of content warnings anywhere. There was a significant number in this show, which definitely should have been mentioned, not just because content warnings are a matter of consent, but because it's a genuine health and safety concern. That being said, this show was one of the best fringe horror/thrillers we’ve seen in a long time and here’s why.

The design is perfect for the cold and dark Baron’s Court theatre space. Blue nonsensical chalk drawings cover the walls, giving us the feeling that something isn’t quite right, especially given that the only thing accompanying these is a singular axe. We are given the taste of the main room in the lighthouse, the rest are left to our imaginations. 

Erin Hutton, the writer of the show, certainly knows how to create a creeping sense of dread and suspense and the hour runtime goes by so quickly. She teases us by giving us the sense of the familiar and then slowly twists us in different directions during the gradual but pacey build up, until we find ourselves alert and unsure of what is going to happen next. Simultaneously desperately wanting and not wanting to watch the story unfold.

Hutton expertly blends together genres of horror, thriller, mystery, the gothic and the apocalyptic to create an altogether unique piece. In the wrong hands, this could’ve led to an over complicated and hard to follow story. But Hutton is an expert at condensing down to the purely necessary. 

On the surface, it's the tale of a girl discovering the world isn’t as she was taught, by being unexpectedly stuck with a significantly older stranded sailor, who is learning that the world doesn’t look the same to everyone. 

However, if you give it a closer look beyond the jump-scares and shape shifting creature, it’s about how easy it is to get lost in grief. How attempting to stop time can cause you to become isolated and stuck. How desperation and loneliness make us do things we could never even imagine ourselves doing. 

Want Mother Gothel in supernatural form? Look no further than KC Thomas’ disturbing portrayal of Mandy. She has a siren’s voice and an ability to effortlessly flip her characters switches. Definitely a performer to keep your eye on.

Oisin Maguire (Ray) and Elizabeth Anderson (Ava) are the perfect pairing. They feed off each other with an energy like a tsunami and undeniable conviction, driving the tension between the scenes even further. 

Unsettling, sinister and gripping. Horrors/Thrillers are notoriously hard to pull off on stage and this will haunt your nightmares. 

★★★★☆ (4*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review