Writer: Charlotte Ball
Following on from the success of their adaptation of HG Wells The Red Room in 2024, Ellie and Charlotte Ball returns to the Fringe this year with an original horror storytelling show written by Charlotte and performed by her sister Ellie.
Tom Hiccup’s Well is the type of story that you can easily imagine being recounted on fireside evenings at remote Highland cottages or on ghost walks through the streets of ancient cities and towns.
Taking as its starting point, the mythical legend of a spirit said to live in an overgrown well deep within the woods of a fictional village called Grendel, the story centres around the arrogant and entitled son of a local farmer and landowner and the daughter of the landlord of the village pub.
The characters and setting are drawn superbly by Charlotte’s writing and brought to life by Ellie’s delivery as a traditional tale of an innocent woman’s infatuation with a selfish man with no morals and no regard for anyone other than himself plays out to its inevitable conclusion, before a decision taken by the man evokes the ire of Tom and leads to nature taking its revenge.
The intimate setting of The Clover Studio is ideally suited to the show and Ellie knows how to work the space to full advantage. Speaking with a reverance for the myth of Tom, she draws the audience into the mystery looking into the eyes of members of the front row and displaying the unquestioning belief of the villagers as she dares the audience to deny that the outcome of the story could be anything other than proof that Tom is real and will punish those that dismiss him as folklore or a story created to warn people away from the well.
Running alongside The Red Room on alternate days in the same venue, Tom Hiccup’s Well is a perfect alternative to a walk round Greyfriars Kirkyard or the cellars of the city for anyone looking for a dark fairy tale that just might have some truth in it.
Runs until 23 August (Tom Hiccup’s Well 21st and 23rd. The Red Room 20th and 22nd) 2025
