Theatre review: The Road That Wasn't There

Puppetry plays a big part in The Road That Wasn't There. Photo: Anita Pitu

Stay with me here; a few of us in the office have been talking about a possible gap in the market for kids aged 8-12: horror!

I'm not talking slasher, splatter, deeply disturbing psychological horror that will traumatise them so much they end up back in their parents' beds (again) but the sort of mildly ghostly and gothic dark fantasy stories like Neil Gaiman's Coraline or the movie Monster House.

A lot of kids are fascinated by the ghoulish and the macabre; look at the enduring power of fairy-tales where some pretty heavy stuff goes down. Similar to adults, they like to explore their fears in the type of safe environment watching a film or reading a book can provide.

This can be extended to theatre, although "horror" is a notoriously difficult genre to get right. However, Wellington-based Trick of the Light, with fans around the world thanks to appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, could be cornering this possible gap in the market with sophisticated storytelling with an eerie edge.

They're about to take The Road That Wasn't There back to Scotland but, before beginning that journey, there's performances in Auckland and Wellington. Take your older kids and I doubt you'll be disappointed by the ever-so-slightly spine-chilling story.

Gabriel (Paul Waggot) travels home to St Bathans, Otago, when he gets a call informing him that Maggie (Ellie Wootton), his elderly mum who's always been a little odd, is acting even more peculiarly than usual. He returns and finds Maggie ready to expose the ghosts of her past and share a sinister secret with him.

The cast, rounded out by the versatile Ralph McCubbin Howell, weave a captivating tale that had over-tired and over-sugared Miss 8 mesmerised. She loved the set, designed to arouse interest and generate intrigue, found the music suitably haunting and may possibly never look at a map the same way again.

This isn't high-tech theatre but shows what can be achieved by a talented cast utilising old-school effects like shadow and light play, puppetry, music - wonderful music - and a good old-fashioned spooky tale.

What: The Road That Wasn't There
Where & when: Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre; until Saturday.
Reviewer: Dionne Christian