The Mystae

When: Thursday 13th March

 

Where: Hampstead Theatre (downstairs)

 

Why: Stephen Fry recommended it on Twitter

 

The Mystae was a new play by Nick Whitby, performed in the incredibly atmospheric (and cute) downstairs at the Hampstead theatre. The action is set in an off-shore cave which slowly gets cut off by the sea, and the intimacy of the surroundings downstairs, combined with brilliant crashing seaside sound-effects and shadowy, evocative lighting, set the scene perfectly.

 

The events take place over the course of one night in the cave, and are poised on the edge between hilarity and danger, childhood and adult life, cleverness and madness. The three teenagers played expertly by Beatrice Scirocchi, Adam Buchanan, and the brilliantly named Alex Griffin-Griffiths, have grown up in close-knit Cornish village and are straining to break free, and over a hallucinogenic cup of tea they display both their innocence and their secrets in a wildly eventful night. They use Ina’s Greek heritage and their shared intellectual interests to try to recreate the Eleusinian Mysteries, an ancient ritual of transformation which brings clear vision of the ultimate truth. Brilliantly staged with quick vignettes and jokes interspersed with real dramatic scenes, I was utterly gripped by the skillfully natural portrayal of young adulthood and the three friends’ adventurous spirits. Best Twitter recommendation yet.

 

Brixpig x