Tongues, Theatre Review. 81 Renshaw Street.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Helen Kerr, Paul Culshaw, Eddie Fortune, Dale Grant.

There are two sets of horror, the one that sets out to shock from the start, blood and guts everywhere, sometimes instruments of terror are involved and in the end it becomes a gore fest, certainly a jolt to the system but doesn’t leave much to the imagination. There is nowhere for the audience member to go to. The other type is explored by Grin Productions and Wes Williams’ dramatic, sometimes bestial, totally compulsive and mind wrenching production of Tongues.

When Mark is sent for counselling after the disturbing and brutal murder of his family, at his own hands, the voices that are heard start to become sentient, the corporeal form of his only trusted friend Max, played with some quite excellent skill and verbal distinction by Paul Culshaw and aided superbly by Helen Kerr and Dale Grant as the Social Worker and Priest, starts to get inside his head more and more until those who may be trying to help him are left helpless to struggle any more.

It shouldn’t come a surprise that Eddie Fortune can turn his hand to both sides of the acting spectrum, both the comedy and psychological, with such apparent ease. In Tongues he has the presence of a man possessed, keenly and almost terrifyingly accurate but with that little bit extra in his ability that he can turn on a sixpence and give the character Mark such a benevolent smile, cosy, warm and frighteningly, vividly dangerous, a perfect portrayal capturing the horror of the damned instantly.

Wes Williams frames the narrative well and whilst there are some very shocking moments within the play, it is done with the best intention and real eye for the boundary mark as not to overstep, take you to the brink but never pull you across the final line.

Forget the gore fest of horror, all that is needed to put you on edge, to make sure you check the doors are locked before you hide under the duvet before the dreams take you away is the psychological experience of Tongues, life won’t be the same afterwards.

Ian D. Hall