RATING: 4/5
EDINBURGH Fringe welcomes the Nottingham New Theatre, who bring a captivating Greek tragedy to the Scots capital.
The Lacehouse is the tale of three sisters who meet on the eve of their father’s funeral to hold a séance.
It’s an intriguing concept, which the troupe pull off well.
These siblings are looking to locate the possessions of their deceased parents.
Each sister is different from the other, each looking for a different possession – a veil, a will and a hidden letter.
Upon arriving at the theatre, the actors were already on stage, in character, waiting for that one sibling that is always late.
With a crystal ball smaller than a thimble, will they be able to conduct a séance? And more importantly, can they do it without arguing?
No names are given, so we have the eldest (played by Kat Parry), who is scared of everything and going through a divorce.
There is the middle sister (played by Marianna Whistlecroft) who is the leader of the three and, upon the death of their father, the new head of the family.
The youngest (played by Tash Wanigaratne) is a “princess” and “daddy’s girl”.
One sister has always seen her parent’s (Em Stribbling & Tommy Allwright) marriage as perfect, with them being wed for 54 years, but was it?
With each sister learning some hard truths, they also collectively learn to move on from the tragedy, which is a theme relayed tremendously well by the presence on stage.
“The Lacehouse” might not mean much but if you look closely, lace features in nearly every scene and has some significance.
The actors are very believable as real sisters, and they all give incredibly heartfelt performances.
It’s hard to believe that Nottingham New Theatre is an entirely student-run theatre.
The entire productions boasts a very polished performance from all involved.
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