Review: LET THE RIGHT ONE IN at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

There’s a dreamlike quality that permeates Berkeley Rep's production of the popular novel and films of Let The Right One In, fitting for a story involving a romance between a twelve-year old boy and an ageless vampire presenting as a young girl. Once the supernatural revelation is made, a touching coming of age story blossoms, seemingly fantastical, yet ripe with true human sentiment. With stunning staging by British director John Tiffany and movement director Steven Hoggett and breakthrough performances by leads Diego Lucano (Oskar) and Noah Lamanna (Eli), Let The Right One In is a moving perspective on loneliness and belonging.

The social isolation themes are current to the alarming rise in bullying and the COVID pandemic, so we can empathize with Oskar as he maneuvers his broken family and the assaults by his schoolmates. Both Eli and Osar are naïve in affairs of the heart and Thorne’s sparse dialogue adds to the awkwardness of their meetings. When Eli asks if he would mind if she wasn’t a girl, Oskar thinks about it and says he wouldn’t mind, not fully understanding the ramifications of what she’s intimating.

The horror element of the story involves a series of grisly murders perpetrated by Eli’s protector Hakan (Richard Topol). Eventually Oskar discovers what Eli is and must make a mature decision about their future. The nuanced performances by the pair belie their unlikely coupling which becomes secondary to the simple premise of the search for love and acceptance.

The staging is spectacular; from the snow-covered birch tree woods (set design by Christine Jones), Hoggett’s theatrically inventive gestural movement vocabulary, lighting by Chahine Yavroyan, special effects by Jeremy Chernick, and sound by Gareth Fry. There’s a scene where Eli’s lonely mother joins him in his bed that is breathtakingly choreographed to show the connection between the pair. The ensemble cast makes the most of Hoggett’s fluid movement adding an emotional subtext to the overall atmosphere. Let The Right One In is an extraordinary production visually and emotionally, and like all great horror stories, humanizes the supernatural as an extension of ourselves.

Let The Right One In continues through June 25th. Tickets can be purchased online at berkeleyrep.org/shows/let-the-right-one-in or by calling (510) 647-2949.

Photo Credit: Kevin Berne