Pictures: Manuel Harlan   

The Croft

Birmingham Rep

****

The first outing of The Croft was way back in the dark ages of COVID-19, so unfortunately Ali Milles’ play had to be put on hold. Now it’s back, reuniting some of the original cast.

The setting is in an old crofter's hut in Coille Ghillie, a remote township in the Scottish Highlands. The stage design depicts this superbly, you really get a sense of its isolated location, with only the sound of gulls and the sea as a backdrop.

The play follows three stories set in three different time zones, but all taking place in the same location, it appears that only The Croft itself contains the truth of what went on within its walls.

The first story opens with the arrival of teenage Laura (Gracie Follows) and her older lover Suzanne, beautifully portrayed by Caroline Harker, who have come for a romantic break. We soon learn that The Croft belongs to Laura’s Family and contains many memories.

The joyful arrival at such a remote setting soon turns to resentment as Suzanne realises the nearest shop is an hour away and that she is unable to contact anyone on her mobile phone, including her two teenage boys to let them know she has arrived safely.

Their cosy little get-away is soon disturbed by the arrival of an old Family friend, David (Gray O’Brien), who having seen the light in the window lets himself in, only to catch the two lovers in an intimate embrace.

After introducing himself, David warns them that Croft life isn’t for everyone, and we’re left feeling that there’s something more sinister about the place than purely the lack of amenities.

Via a flash-back it emerges that Laura’s mother Ruth (Also played by Caroline Harker) was staying at the croft when she was dying from cancer. Are we supposed to assume from the double casting that Laura is seeking a mother figure? She has made mention earlier to the fact that Suzanne looks like her mother.

Ruth’s husband and Laura’s Father, Tom (Simon Roberts) is less than sympathetic towards his wife’s impending demise and this may account for the friction that later emerges between himself and his daughter.

The third story takes us back to the late 1800s and we meet Enid played with appropriate eeriness by Liza Goddard, an elderly lady living in The Croft during a time when land owners were evicting the local crofters, using dubious methods such as accusations of witchcraft and encouraging the locals to form mobs and burn down their homes.

Enid is giving shelter to Eileen (also played by Gracie Follows) who has become pregnant out of wedlock, which only adds fuel to the hatred.

The first act, which ends with a beautiful rendition of a Gaelic folk song about selkies, mythical creatures that are seals in water and women on land, sets the scene for the roller coaster journey of act 2

Most of the cast take on two roles and appear in the various time zones, which adds to the underlying message that there are parallels in the emerging relationships. To re-cap Gracie Follows plays Laura and Eilene; Caroline Harker plays Suzanne and Ruth; Gray O’Brien plays David and Alec; and Simon Roberts plays Laura’s father Tom and Eileen’s father Patrick. Lisa Goddard plays Enid

There is plenty going on throughout the two-and a-bit hours, enough to fill six episodes of a mini-series! The scares come from objects flying off shelves, doors slamming shut on their own, ghostly faces at windows and talk of mythical creatures, but there is so much more to this than simply making the audience jump out of their seats. This is a clever, original, if slightly confusing at times, story of family feuds, relationships and intrigue.

The ending has many unanswered questions which isn’t a bad thing as it leaves you with much to think about.

Alan Birch

10-06-25

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