Writer: Philip Ridley
Director: Wiebke Green.
Hot on the heels of Tarantula’s success is another ‘lockdown play’ by Philip Ridley. The Poltergeist, which premiered to critical acclaim in 2022, after its first livestream in 2020, is back, and anyone who enjoyed the funny, dark intensity of Tarantula will be similarly enthralled. The opening scene is set to the part agony, part ecstasy, hi-energy, disco classic, Jimmy Sommerville’s I Feel Love, on a loop. While The Poltergeist doesn’t have the random violence of Tarantula, the character and story give the audience plenty of unpredictability to keep them on their toes.
We meet Sasha, a slim, boyish figure with big eyes and open features. He shares his life with a personal trainer, Chet, a kind Irishman, skilled at diffusing the hand grenades Sasha regularly lobs in his direction and all around. Sasha is creative and sometimes, inexplicably sullen and resentful. He often lives in his own head and on autopilot, going through the motions of daily life, uttering pre-prepared scripts for any given situation, and presenting an acceptable face to the world. His out-of-bodyness isn’t helped by the fact that he’s addicted to Codeine, which keeps him on edge: “Am I going to cry? I sometimes do.” But what exactly is the source of his pain?
At his niece’s birthday party, who he tenderly refers to as “the brat,” there’s an unresolved tension with his brother, Flynn and sister-in-law, Niamh. During an avalanche of cupcakes and an explosion of princess pink, Sacha’s buried trauma surfaces, but before this happens, the audience is left to observe his strange behaviour, which always happens in secret. We realise Sasha is the Poltergeist of the title, an entity who disturbs the lives of others, through word and action. We also discover that at 15, Sasha was an art world prodigy with an audacious talent. But the success, fame, and wealth never materialised. Why was this?
For 70 minutes, Louis Davison embodies the persona of Sasha as well as the rest of the characters with energy and verve. It’s a tremendously confident performance, embraced body and soul. He manages to encompass a multiplicity of regional and international accents, giving texture and contrast to this one-man show, working the space and connecting with the audience as events skilfully unfold in ‘real’ time. Davison’s bravura performance, the taut text and stripped-back contemporary direction is a winning combination. The unexpected closing note is offered like a parting gift to the audience who respond with surprise and delight.
Runs until 11 October 2025
