African Gothic Reviews
African Gothic ran for four weeks at Park Theatre , Finsbury Park, London December 2015 - January 2016
'Disturbing, visceral and absorbing. It's edge-of-your-seat stuff...a tightly told and gripping drama that is expertly packaged into just 100 minutes' The Stage Review ★★★★
'Two Sheds Theatre has conjured a sweltering, volatile atmosphere... African Gothic offers a most fulfilling theatrical performance by drawing its audience entirely into its world, and so too into the mouth of madness' The Upcoming ★★★★
'A powerful expose of apartheid lies....a macabre debunking of the myths that propped up the ancestral pride of Afrikaner culture...the oppressive weirdness of the situation is powerfully communicated in Two Sheds Theatre Company's fine revival directed by Roger Mortimer and Deborah Edgington' The Independent
'This play certainly delivers...Roger Mortimer and Deborah Edgington's production and Nancy Surman's design are strong on atmosphere: you can almost smell the sense of decay. Oliver Gomm and Janna Fox are also persuasive as the crazed siblings' The Guardian
'The production is strong, with never a dull moment, a real testament to the directors' pacing of the piece and the quality of the performances...the design is also tight and beautifully executed. ....an entertaining, morbid experience' Plays to See ★★★★
'Skillful and efficiently staged' The Times
'Two Sheds' intense revival [is] given a superb visual setting....[Directors] Mortimer and Edgington are skillful at conveying the glistening discomfort that radiates through the play....a powerful and confrontational play...an evening of provocative and thoughtful theatre, beautifully designed and featuring some terrific performances' Live Theatre UK
'I was utterly unprepared for the extreme level of intensity that this play offered. Brutal, shocking and unapologetic...the chemistry [between the leads] was commanding and they successfully created a chilling and nail-biting atmosphere for their audience...African Gothic was bravely and imaginatively directed by Roger Mortimer and Deborah Edgington....a truly powerful piece of theatre' A Younger Theatre
'There's a lot packed into this production...this striking and chaotic play makes for a satisfying and intense experience, with plenty of food for thought' London Theatre1 ★★★★
'Absorbing...the gradual unfolding of the psychology of the siblings' stories is compelling...the play is superbly staged [and] the uncertain meaning is good' One World
'African Gothic is not an easy watch - it will leave you unsettled, and we should welcome space for that type of work. This is a story firmly set in South Africa but somehow beyond it, perhaps it echoes the destruction and oppression that we see time and time again in human nature and history' British Black List
'Menacing but marvellous. African Gothic does not set out to provide easy answers'
The Hampshire Chronicle
'Reza de Wet's 1985 Afrikaans play buzzes with flies and foreboding. It shows us something grim...and keeps cranking up' The Sunday Times