The Gothics: The Mummy Rises Review
Originally published on Avenoir Magazine, in July 2016.
Helmed by The Hip Productions, this week’s The Gothics took us on an expedition to 1890 Egypt in The Mummy Rises, a chilling comedy adventure that will leave you wanting more.
The Gothics is a three-show production consisting of Dracula, The Mummy Rises and Frankenstein, with a different theatre company producing each show.
“An expedition in Egypt have uncovered the tomb of Grand Vizier Artek Bey, however, this discovery comes with a curse – a curse that promises death to all who disturb Artek Bey’s resting place. The contents of the tomb are crated up and sent to London where, in a terrifying adventure, the resurrected murderous mummy of Artek Bey stalks the darkened corridors of the British museum, driven not only by the curse, but by the High Priestess sworn to serve the mummy.”
I feel that The Hip Productions and director Tim Brain did a superb job with this production. The set was astounding, and their use of space was quite inventive. I also enjoyed seeing how they adapted the stage from last week’s Dracula to suit this new story, making it into something completely new. The way they created Artek Bey’s tomb was perfect, they put just enough artifacts and a very simple hieroglyph background, to give the feel of an Egyptian tomb without being cheesy.
Once again, The Gothics gave us the perfect cast, with everyone becoming their characters and portraying them so believably. Everyone’s physicality was great, as was their verbal and non-verbal acting.
Notable performances by Christie Strauss as Clare Waldren, her character suffered the most loss during this show and Christie emoted that beautifully, and her scream that ends Act One felt so authentic. You could definitely feel the grief and swirl of emotions her character was feeling in that moment.
Andrew David as Alfie Bray – his character suffered considerably at the hands of the mummy, losing both his best friend and his sight. He played his character’s arc very well, the change from the bravado of a young man in love with nothing to lose, to the broken small man who now relies on others. I really felt for him, especially when he was being used as bait.
The Mummy was excellent, he didn’t have any lines aside from the occasional groan, but the way Andrew Dawson held himself and with the menacing shuffles towards his victims, sent shivers down my spine.
However, my favourite characters without a doubt were Maisie Dalrymple (Kate Willoughby) and Cora Shakley (Abbey McCaughan), this duo gave the lighthearted breaks that are needed between the sad, and scary scenes. Their comedic timing was brilliant and left the audience in stitches, especially the scene following Mr. Waldren’s funeral. I especially loved how librarian Maisie Dalrymple was instrumental in saving the day, by figuring out the spell that was controlling the Mummy and reversing it.
This show used music and sound effects in a phenomenal way. The music would start and I knew that something was about to happen, and I got chills and was filled with trepidation at the thought of what was coming without much having happened onstage. This sort of control is incredible and shows that they know how important a role sound is in creating the right atmosphere. For example, soft sweet melodies would play during Alfie and Clare’s sweet moments, and the use of bass intensified the eerie scenes.
Overall this was incredible to watch and experience, right from the very first scene, when the expedition discovered the tomb, the way that was done with the slow increase of lighting and the sounds of digging, felt like I was watching a movie. This for me set the tone for the entire evening, and from that moment, I knew I was in for an excellent night.
Read the review of The Gothics: Dracula here.
