Review: THE NOISES, The Old Red Lion Theatre

Luna is a dog. She is confined to her room - she has not been "good", but she does have chicken in her tummy. Meanwhile, her self-appointed job (the protection of Ellie-girl) has been stymied by yet another row between the teenager and her parents, leading to yet another walkout. And the noises outside are getting louder.

Sharing some thematic similarities with Wolfie (currently at Theatre503, reviewed here), Jacqueline Saphra's one person play (supplemented by some tremendous sound work by Tom Parkinson) traps us with a semi-feral character who seems the only sane person in their world. Sure Luna can bite and sure she feuds with the neighbour's ginger tom and pampered terrier, but she has reasons for her actions in a world in which reason is in short supply.

We hear the story (as Luna calls it) of her "'puphood" and, although it is believably canine, the parallels with neglected "lost" children are plain - as are the consequences or such abuse .

Should we be surprised that Luna is fiercely loyal to the one person who showed her the love she craves? Should we be surprised that Luna meets threats with aggression and violence? No. Why, then, are we surprised when children who suffer as Luna did react as Luna does? The play poses that rather awkward question very directly indeed.

Amy McAllister does a fine job as Luna, sometimes talking directly to us, sometimes musing to herself, sometimes canine, sometimes human. So often, as dogs and children are so often, she is absurdly pleased with things, the highs high and the lows low. The smart move of making Luna non-human avoids any mawkish, Dickensian sentimentality about a child, because Luna can, and does, bite back. That edge, when the lines between human and dog blur, is important.

All through at 75 minutes or so, director, Tamar Saphra, wraps things up just in time, as the noises get louder and louder outside. As political theatre goes, The Noises is not wholly original (Stephen Berkhoff's Dog - reviewed here - came to mind more than once), but it works without shouting, without exposition and without any of the humans who made this dysfunctional world through which Luna navigates with such dogged perseverance.

The Noises is at the Old Red Lion Theatre until 20 April.

Photo Ali Wright

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