Killer, Shoreditch Town Hall review ★★★★★

Philip Ridley’s Killer is an experience like no other, set almost exclusively in pitch-darkness and linking the progression of stories to the physical movement of the audience from room to eerie, dimly-lit room.

Following on from Pitchfork Disney in a double bill of Philip Ridley's works that Jamie Lloyd is directing at Shoreditch Town Hall, Killer (the playwright's most recent work) takes the audience on a journey, immersing them in stories of the speaker's initiation into a ruthless gang, a maid's austerely structured life and brief romance upturned by horrifying events, and a magical ostrich wreaking equal measure of miracle and havoc on the life of its owner, who is on the run from a murderer.

The performance is entirely immersive and surprisingly personal; the use of binaural sound is breath-taking (literally), resulting in a captivated audience frequently shaken by chills and frozen to the spot by the belief that the speaker is inches away from their faces.

The acting is relentless with John Macmillan’s untiring voice bringing his emotions to life – sometimes a little too vividly. The narrative is equally menacing, yet each story has a unique and well-executed comedic undercurrent, resulting in some much-needed laugh-out-loud points – welcome breaks from the almost perpetual trepidation.

Combining near- (and often total) darkness, expertly executed sound, and the involvement of the audience, Lloyd has succeeded in creating a memorable immersive experience. The basement of Shoreditch Town Hall provides an apt setting, but be warned: the gory narrative leaves nothing to the imagination; it is not for the faint-hearted.