Review: Creepy yet Touching LET THE RIGHT ONE IN Thrills at the Moore

Is it possible to put a really good horror story on stage? It has been done to some limited success with things like "Sweeney Todd" or "The Woman in Black" and now we have the truly creepy offering from National Theatre of Scotland with their adaptation of "Let the Right One In".

Adapted by Jack Thorne based on the novel and Swedish film by John Ajvide Lindqvist the story is part coming of age story, part relationship play and part horror. It focuses on Oskar (Christian Ortega), a young boy who's a bit of a loner mostly out of self defense to avoid the bullies who make his life miserable. One night while hanging out in the woods he meets Eli (Lucy Mangan), a strange young girl who seems out of place in the world. The two become closer and we find that Eli has just recently moved into the apartment next door to Oskar's. But a dark cloud takes over the town as residents are being murdered in the woods. Come to find that Eli's caretaker is the one killing these people in order to drain their blood and feed it to Eli because, yes, she's a vampire.

If you haven't seen the original film or the American remake then you are missing out. It takes your typical monster movie and turns it on its ear by making you care for the monster and her relationships as opposed to fearing her. I would say to head out right now and find the film but now there's this new version of the story from the National Theatre of Scotland and if you can see a version of anything from the National Theatre of Scotland, you do! Not just for the acting chops, which are massive, but the innovation in staging, lighting, set and sound design are always top notch and here is no exception. The gorgeous sound design from Gareth Fry and lighting from Chahine Yavroyan only serve to intensify the already intense emotion and terror of the show. And the staging from director John Tiffany and movement from Steven Hoggett lend a hauntingly otherworldly air to the piece. If I had one complaint it's that there was a technical issue with one of the big special effects for Act Two that they announced at intermission would not be happening. So if someone sees this later in the run if you could tell me what happened with the pool, I'd appreciate it because it sounded quite spectacular.

Ortega and Mangan are absolutely adorable together as the young man and not so young creature finding each other. That is if you can call a blood thirsty monster adorable and with Mangan you can. Sure she's horrifying with many of her quirks and awkward movement but she still manages a wonderful longing and vulnerability. Ortega takes the bullied youth to the extreme but never over sells it as we ache for him to succeed. Graeme Dalling and Andrew Fraser are incredible as the horrible bullies but still manage an underlying motivation as to why they're being bullies. And I must mention Ewan Stewart as Eli's caretaker Hakan who doesn't say a lot in the show but is completely engaging.

The snow falls and the blood flows in this riveting tale and it's one not to be missed especially if you're already a fan of the film. So with my three letter rating system I give National Theatre of Scotland's production of "Let the Right One In" a bloody good YAY. For a theater town like Seattle there were far too many empty seats at the Moore last night for my taste. If you claim to love really good theater then you need to discover what Scotland has to offer.

"Let the Right One In" from the National Theatre of Scotland performs at the Moore Theatre through February 12th. For tickets or information visit Seattle Theatre Group online at www.stgpresents.org.

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