Review: HORNE'S DESCENT, Old Red Lion Theatre

The Great War is barely over when Peter Horne decides to take his vows and join the clergy. After all, with the Western World still in shambles in 1920, how could anyone return to being who they were before the conflict? With his sights set on holiness, Peter seems secure in his decision to lead a life of chastity and purity of spirit. We meet him when an old friend invites him to a party and everything changes again. Can one really change their path, or is everyone shackled by predestination? Are there major forces that rest outside of human control in charge of our souls? Writer Nina Atesh questions the role of religion in a universe where even free will is bound by an unalterable set of rules.

Horne’s Descent features a compact take on religious philosophy and slender social politics, with an added a dash of good-natured occult in the mix. It refuses to spell out its contents for the audience, trusting them to connect the dots and draw their own conclusions in an exercise of mental flexibility. An aura of mystery descends the moment twenty-something Peter Horne (Alexander Hackett) enters the room. After some erratic panting and frantic clutching at his collared throat, the lights settle and the predicament kicks off.

Hands permanently stitched to his back (until they’re not), consciously preventing himself from engaging with anything inside this den of sin (until he gives in), the not-so-reformed rascal fights the flow of events (until he doesn’t anymore). Enter Peter’s frenemy, Albert (Magnus Gordon), the posh childhood chum who still dabbles in debauchery and invited him to Etta (Cici Clarke) and Mary’s (Bethany Slater). The newly anointed priest is surrounded by an ample collection of sins, from risqué tapestries to tarot cards, while Albert tries to bring up his questionable past at any given opportunity.

Directed by Chloe Cattin, the scene is rarely static both in movement and script. Where Atesh offers a beckoning (though quite superficial in its 60 minutes) debate, Cattin matches it with an intricate choreography that has Peter orbiting his adversaries, resisting the pull of his temperamental urges. The keys that unlock the plot are all there from the start, if you know where to look, but the journey to the resolution remains deliciously enjoyable. The play isn’t a reflection on the ways religion and spirituality fit into a modern society crippled by the relentless search for distractions as much as it is a breakdown of the fallout of war and a brief exploration of the lasting effects of the class divide in Britain.

It’s an impressive piece of theatre. While it could do with a longer running time, it acts as the perfect morsel of intrigue. Hackett handles the shift in tone and delivery with great control of his physicality while Gordon’s change in pace is characterised by the increased diminishment of his previous rowdiness. The two men are immediately at the psychological mercy of the women, whose act is all about the long game. Clarke adds a level of obscure chicanery to her mystical figure, but it’s Slater who steals the stage. Draped in gorgeous 20s attire by designer Miranda Cattermole, she has the bearings of a devious variation of Fitzgerald’s Daisy Buchanan, a role she would be right at home with. It's easy to see that this production is only the beginning for this excellent company.

Horne's Descent runs at the Old Red Lion Theatre until 13 April.

Photo credit: Bethany Monk-Lane

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