Although essentially a black box room, Luke Adamson’s production far elevates Under Electric Candlelight from its limited space.
Described as “Dark, funny and featuring the music of The Kinks”, you may wonder going in what the tunes of Ray and Dave Davies have to do with “an existential tragicomedy”. The play deploys a stunning soundscape throughout – sometimes evoking where ‘Stranger’ is, other times mirroring his mental state. The sound of waves below on the cliffside gives way to The Kinks’ “Catch Me Now I’m Falling”. While the group’s back catalogue provide a low-level pulse to the drama, occasionally certain songs bleed through poignantly. At the end of a monologue about the dying child, we hear “thank you for the days” from the 1968 track, pulling us from the despair. When ‘Stranger’ reaches his moment of epiphany of how to live with the darkness inside of him, “Stop Your Sobbing” is the musical underscore. The amount of care to ensure the sonic experience reflects the drama is evident. Similarly, evocative but inobtrusive lighting by JLA Productions supports the drama rather overwhelming or interrupting.
In an otherwise flawless production, there is a singular misstep. The naturalism of ‘Stranger’ and Lola’s interaction is interrupted at one point by a waiter whose lineage suggests the surly offspring of Julie Walter’s Two Soups waitress. It’s a mannered intrusion that feels like the play has suddenly lost its dramatic nerve and worrying it has gone too dark, decides to impose some shouty comedy schtick to break tension.