It was a dark and stormy night…
We’ve all heard the stories, the ones that start in a deep, dark forest, with nobody around to know what transpires, to know exactly what happens to the characters – be it good, bad or ugly.
With In a Forest, Dark and Deep, debuting worldwide at the Vaudeville Theatre on the Strand, we are lost in a claustrophobic cabin with only Bobby (Matthew Fox) and Betty (Olivia Williams) for somewhat reluctant company – admittedly, typically white-trash names, but in a small town like the one they hail from, quite acceptable.
I’ll not lie, I definitely hassled my friend into going, because, well, it’s Matthew Fox, isn’t it? Everyone Loves Jack-off-LOST, and I’ll agree that that was my main reasoning for going – but then again, it looked like more than half of the audience were there for that reason, and that reason alone (cue the wolf-whistles when he came onstage, and the bated breath at the merest hint of chest)… I didn’t wolf-whistle, I promise. She said she enjoyed it in the end, so I’d say it was a victory, of sorts.
Anyway. Set on two levels, and kept fresh by the sudden bouts of sibling rivalry, and ‘surprising’ revelations throughout, In a Forest is compelling because it scrambles to a climax that, from the off, is a little bit predictable, but a lot surprising. We kept watching because looking away was impossible.
Fox is interesting as Bobby. Aesthetically, he’s got the looks to be a leading man, but they let him down a little here – though with his (slightly frightening) beard covering most of his pretty face, you do get the sense that someone’s had a genius idea, and he at least looks the right part. With a checked overshirt and Nirvana tee underneath, everyone has him down as the bad-boy from the word ‘go’ – though, as with most pieces of fiction, things aren’t necessarily as they seem. Cue the lovely looking Olivia Williams (Of the Live-action-Peter-Pan fame), as his sister, having invited him to this cabin to help her pack and transport the hordes of books all over the place. Her tenant has moved on, and she really doesn’t know what to do.
It all spirals down from there.
The quality of the acting is pretty brilliant, I have to say – with Fox on debut, you’d maybe expect some kind of fear, but there was nothing in his eyes but fire and readiness – and he tackles the role almost perfectly, though I’d like to know where all of his beard came from, there were a lot of creepy whiskers in there. Williams, as a seasoned lady of the stage, is very at home at the Vaudeville, and uses the space she’s given impressively.
Personally, I was impressed with the whole thing, though my friend did point out some holes which I thought could be easily explained away. I won’t cover them in depth for fear of revealing too much of the plot, suffice it to say that Williams’ reactions are not those you’d expect in a simple sibling argument… even though I’d argue that with the time constraints they have (no interval, and approximately 90 minutes runtime), not everything can be expressed to its full potential. We had to agree to disagree on that one.
On the whole, In a Forest Dark and Deep is a pretty good play, and I’d definitely advise you to see it on its next run. Unfortunately, it’s closed since we went to see it, having had only a month’s run, but next time. I just advise you that next time… you go.
Seriously, it’ll be worth it.
In A Forest: Ran 3rd March – 4th June
Star Rating: ★★★★
