Showing @ SoCo until 21st Aug
With a knife in the shoulder blades and a tongue firmly in their cheek N10 Productions have created a fine slice of Gothic horror filled with wit, style and a gory sense of fun.
Penny Dreadful returns to her childhood home for the funeral of her father and finds herself faced with the monstrous horde of his women: His bony, cold, selfish second wife Baroness Philipa, played with glorious over the top abandon by Megan Markwick, his mistress the haughty high C delivering opera diva Marine (Poppy Zadek-Ewing) and the earthy maid/cook/lover Fanny Brown played with salty zestiness by Emma Caller.
Added into the mix, were two sadistic nuns, ( Laura Overs, Hannah Johnson) and egging Penny on in her terrible task, was the vision of her dead father, played to perfection in fine Kenneth Williams style by Billy Barrett.
The biggest risk factor in the show were the musical elements, with tunes played live by the performers it would have been very easy for this to jar and break the momentum of the plot, but director Lauren Overs and the cast made sure that the numbers slotted seamlessly into the show adding yet another level to it’s creepy campness.
The show wasn’t without flaws, the pace dipped in the middle and there was far too much expository dialogue which could have been replaced with action but over all this was a very entertaining piece of schlocky, tuneful, ghoulish entertainment. It’s early afternoon slot might put you off but if you think you can stomach a bit of murder and mayhem before tea-time then this is highly recommended.
To book tix etc head to N10 Website (click here)