Written by Eliza Mardlin, and based upon the 1872 novel by Sheridan Le Fanu – thought to be the first, significant vampire novella – Carmilla plays at The Space this week.
We are in a castle set in the hills of Styria (now a state in Austria) in the 19th century. Laura (Charmaine Cheong) is lonely with just her father for company.
When the mysterious Carmilla (Emmy Khan) arrives to stay for a while, the two girls quickly develop an intense bond. Where Le Fanu interpreted Carmilla as a tale of lost innocence, this new adaptation takes a more feminist and Sapphic view.
Mardlin’s play is accompanied by an operatic and often discordant score by Adam Yee, fitting perfectly in the Gothic melodrama vein that threads through the story.
The usual vampiric tropes are alive and well in the person of the General (Tarak Ojaghi), seeking revenge for the loss of his daughter. The stage stretches forward with the audience on each side, with Cheong often acting in a narrative role.
One early scene shows Laura as a child (played by Mardlin) struggling with a vision of a woman who acts as a succubus, attempting to draw the life out of her. Shaken, she recounts this to her father (Benjamin Parsons), who dismisses it as a dream.
Into the castle, with its churchyard, turrets and draughty rooms, Carmilla starts to exert an influence that is at first mischievous but starts to suggest something darker. Of course, the men cannot let this influence continue and seek to silence it.
With a credited ‘vampire researcher and consultant’ (Matilda Barker), this production of Carmilla seeks to present a more sympathetic view, while still focused on the sensual aspects of sucking blood.
Director Heenal Shah attempts to reconfigure Carmilla‘s depiction of women as demonic or innocent, rather than simply presenting them as seen by male authors and observers. She has worked with Mardlin before, who has previously concentrated on writing musicals. This has the feel of a musical trying to get out.
Some imagery is starkly told within the script, although the set design offers no visual impact to accompany the tale. I might have wished for red walls or lighting, or perhaps a different set of sound effects than the relentless score. That, or a moment or two of operatic singing from one of the characters, would have added variety to a potent and fascinating tale.
I give this 3 stars.
Carmilla played until 28 Mar at The Space, the livestream was streamed on 27 Mar.