Review: WICKIES: THE VANISHING MEN OF EILEAN MOR, Park Theatre

On Boxing Day in 1900, a small boat was approaching the island of Eilean Mor in the Outer Hebrides with a relief keeper for the lighthouse. Unlike custom, nobody was waiting on the shore. The door was unlocked; food had been left seemingly abandoned, half-eaten; two coats were missing. All the clocks had stopped at the same time and there was no sign of the three men. An investigation ensued, with the isle searched thoroughly to no avail. The only clues they could go after were the last strange entries in the daily logbook, detailing their despair over an unreported storm.

Playwright Paul Morrissey explores a fascinating case, transforming it into a boutique paranormal thriller whilst trying to explain the lead-up to their disappearance. Directed by Shilpa T-Hyland, Wickies: The Vanishing Men of Eilean Mor is a good alternative to the Christmas stories that traditionally haunt London at this time of year. While the show falls into a few negligible lulls, it plays with tension well, adding a few tasteful jump-scares. It also paints a life-size picture of a now decayed profession and the effects it had on mental health.

Morrissey blends genres imperceptibly. The situational comedy that comes with the clash of the keepers' personalities becomes tense terror in the span of a breath. Designers Bethany Gupwell (lights) and Nik Paget-Tomlinson (sound) are crucial to the outcome. Niall Bailey's ominous, ghostly maritime composition accompanies the length of the production, influencing the reception of the story dramatically, while Gupwell's changes in hue and sharpness move it between the realms of reality and fantasy as the men recount their experiences in Zoe Hurwitz's kitchen.

Graeme Dalling, Jamie Quinn, and Ewan Stuart butt heads and sing sea shanties in this atmospheric slow burner. With the swish of a coat, they go from being the isolated trio to portraying the unfortunate seamen who discovered the empty tower and the officers who carried out the inquiry aided by Gupwell's spotlights. Dalling is the brash Donald Macarthur, who preys on the imagination of young Quinn's unweathered Occasional, Thomas Marshall, while Stuart's James Ducat, the Principal Keeper, diffuses the hostility.

Folkloric tales, boredom, and the extended confinement of its inhabitants have fed the tragic history of the lighthouse. A realistic explanation is given by Morrissey in an epilogue of sorts, but the supernatural suspicion he's instilled is too delicious to be placated with anything tangible. To this day, the mystery is unsolved. There's no rest for the wickies.

Wickies: : The Vanishing Men of Eilean Mor runs at the Park Theatre until 31 December.

Photo Credit: Pamela Raith

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