SUMMARY
"The Haunting of Hill House", written by Shirley Jackson, is regarded by many as a classic of the horror story genre tame though it may be by modern standards. This adaptation by Andrew Leslie captures much of the novels disturbing nature and is well suited for intimate acting spaces such as New Wimbledon Theatre's Studio. The club produced an excellent evening's entertainment with good quality acting supported by very high standards in the technical aspects of the play, particularly the sound canvas and the costume.
 
REPORT
The studio theatre is a very intimate space and the audience arrived to see the acting space dominated by what appeared to be items of furniture have been covered with dust sheets which aptly set the scene for the story to unfold.

Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" is a complex story dealing with a group of individuals and their reactions to a disturbing house. The group has been gathered together by an eminent anthropologist, Dr Montague, who has found a haunted house and wishes to observe its effects on some carefully selected volunteers.

The audience first met Dr Montague when in the company of Mrs Dudley, a servant; they remove the dust sheets in a way that conveys an eerie expectation. Following on from the uncovering we were introduced to the main visitor to the house Eleanor Vance. Eleanor is soon joined by Luke Sanderson and Theodora who form an easy going even convivial group. Soon the presence of the house makes itself felt and the group seems to disintegrate. The degeneration of the group is compounded by the arrival of the Doctor's wife and Arthur Parker. Finally Eleanor attempts to escape from the house only to find, as has been hinted to the audience, that she can not.

Dr Montague is a very steady dependable character and was played by Paul Johnson in exactly the right way calm and unflappable. Visually the symbolism was demonstrated by the fact that this was the only character in the play not to change his costume.

Eleanor Vance was played by Julia Coleman with a low key building to occasional crescendo and then with a discordant note or two just as the complex character of Eleanor should have been. Julia seemed to be able to portray Eleanor's ability to slip from the real world that was very dull to her into a beguiling internal world dominated by the House and its presence.

Theodora was given a vibrant treatment by Rachel Tozer who was an interesting contrast to Eleanor in poise, dress and brightness of character. The costumes worn by Rachel were a real support in the establishment of both the character and the period in which the play was set.

Stuart Butler gave a very watchable portrayal of Luke Sanderson who has been foisted upon Dr Montague as a condition of the rental of the House. Stuart conveyed his role with a roundness that was infectiously engaging.

Although a minor part with a limited range of dialogue Ada Halley was excellent as the semi mono tonal and sub textually deeply disturbing Mrs Dudley. Mrs Dudley makes no bones about telling those who will listen to her that staying at the house is not a decision to be taken lightly.

I'm not entirely sure how the characters of Mrs Montague and Arthur Parker really add to the telling of the story other than as a somewhat sceptical counterfoil to Dr Montague's enthusiasms. Both parts were well acted and conveyed by Sarah Monk with an added high energy level and Benjamin Ellis with a controlled presence.
 
The technical aspects of the show were of a very high standard.

The costumes were all excellent exactly in keeping with the characters, a dependable tweedy feeling for Dr Montague, a slightly dull set for Eleanor, comfortable for Luke, bright and fashionable for Theodora, sharp for Mrs Montague, sound for Arthur and of course perfectly servant like for Mrs Dudley.

The sound canvas used for the play added a superb extra dimension to the story. The words "bump in the night" can only hint at the full range of volume and texture that was delivered during the course of the play. Well done to all those involved with the concept, design and delivery of the sound.

Lighting and furniture all added significantly to the evening, it looked as if considerable effort had been applied to the setting of the acting space and its use through thoughtful lighting.

The Front of House team were very professional.

I thought that the imagery on your handbill and programme was very good. The short programme given to the audience included information on the Club, background to the story.

I enjoy the ambience at St Anne's hall and the work of the catering team but I thought that the space in the Wimbledon Theatre Studio probably provided a better setting for the staging of this particular play. I imagine that it was not an easy decision to use the Studio but I think that it was the right one. The space itself added a suitably enigmatic and haunting atmosphere.

Another excellent evening's entertainment, and once again congratulations to the company and the Director Ian Pring.