Produced by ‘alternative reality’ theatre group Candle House Collective, CLAWS is one of two ongoing shows delivered 1-2-1 over the phone.
On a Saturday evening, I take on my ‘shift’ with the ‘Etcetera Helpline’ with just a tag line to say: “How can I help you?”
Danny is a very sweary and loud teenager, and he’s terrified. Why? Because he has locked a monster in the closet. That’s the premise of this interactive call, where you, as the recipient of the call and a ‘helpline representative’, can inform the storyline.
No two CLAWS shows are the same, and the running time can be between 35 and 60 minutes: mine came in at 43. It’s just as exhausting for the listener as for the performer – yet I didn’t really get on board with the idea and relax into it until about 15 minutes in.
Created and directed by Evan Neiden and performed by Malachi Madrone, CLAWS often pauses to let you suggest a solution or action. I decided to try a few different responses before the story went rather too personal for my taste.
If you don’t want to talk about something, say so. ‘Danny’ will keep pushing, but I didn’t let him in. Make up your own false answers if you are happier doing that. CLAWS was first staged in 2020, and from reviews back then, it seemed far more complicated than a simple phone call.
For me, it didn’t quite work as a 1-2-1 conversation, although I liked the inventiveness of it and some of the ad hoc chat that wandered off-script about Spiderman and school days.
I was comparing it in my mind to the audio dramas presented by Darkfield Radio during lockdown, which used more surround sound and subtle acting. CLAWS is hectic and rushed from the start, and more than a little uncomfortable.
The idea of something terrifying in the home is not a new idea. Anyone who lives in an old house will be aware of the sighs and creaks you can hear in the quiet.
Without spoiling, CLAWS takes you on a strange journey, where you start to doubt what your ears and heart tell you. In your ‘shift’, you are asked not just to help but reflect on your own experience and fears.
If this sounds like something you might enjoy, you can check on available slots now on the Candle House Collective website.
Three stars.
CLAWS is currently booking up to 30 Jul. As this is a 121 experience, slots are limited.