REVIEW: CASTING THE RUNES at The Pleasance Theatre and on tour until 25 November 2023

‘a delight to experience’ ★★★★1/2

 The plot of Casting the Runes, an adaptation of a ghost story by M.R. James that was expanded into the more action-packed 1957 film Night of the Demon, is quite simple: at its most basic level, it revolves around characters trying to hand mysterious pieces of paper to one another.

 The set too is simple: a few foldable flats and some props (including a spookily changing picture) hint at the scholarly comforts of the British Library and some early-twentieth-century interiors. Writers and actors Noel Byrne and Antonia Christophers play all the characters with the help of life-size puppets. Watching this play feels like reading a well-written short story. It is neither particularly flashy nor particularly fast-moving, but all its parts fit together so intricately that as an audience member you can relax, realizing you are in safe hands.

This is a play about fear rather than a frightening play. You probably won’t be frightened yourself, but that’s not really the point: as the play progresses, you can see the effects of fear working themselves out in the mind of a proud man who is forced to abandon some of his preconceptions. This play is wonderful on all its levels: the acting and puppetry, the direction by Adam Lenson, the music by Dan Melrose, and the lighting, costuming, and stage design (also by Byrne and Christophers) all work together perfectly. This play is probably the best possible version of what it could be; a rare thing in  theatre and a delight to experience.

Images: theatrical.solutions

Casting the Runes, written by Noel Byrne and Antonia Christophers, touring 21 September-25 November, https://boxtalesoup.co.uk/casting-the-runes

Reviewed by Clio Doyle