Written by Rupert Hill
Directed by Joseph Houston
HER PRODUCTIONS
HOPE MILL THEATRE
Billed as a tale of revenge HUSK is ultimately more a story of the redemptive nature of true friendship. Writer and Performer Rupert Hill writes vividly and movingly about the perils of addiction but although this well paced and reflective piece of writing shows the destructive dangers of alcoholism, it’s most potent message is the importance of human bonds. The young protagonist Ray hero worships his Boss Graeme but is bitterly let down and abandoned by him setting Ray on a descent into ever more destructive behaviours. It is only the consistent care and affection of his prison mentor Stan and his old schoolfriend Beth who lift him up and breathe new life and hope into this husk of a man.
The set design by Sorcha Corcoran is highly effective evoking a sense of constriction and bleakness which is then transformed by the hazy, dreamy videoscapes by Grant Archer which allow the story to fluidly move back and forth in time like an old photo album of faded images. The lighting by Tom Sutcliffe enhances the drama and alongside the thoughtful sound design by Alec Waters, ensures that the closing scenes are memorable long after leaving the theatre.
This is a confident and assured production directed by Hope Mill Theatre co-owner Joseph Houston. It may have elements that suggest a writer more at home with film and television but Houston has managed to ensure this ambitious project can move through time in a smooth and cohesive manner. There is only one scene that risks jarring the subtle build of tension where Hill dressed as his dead mother enters a rough Blackpool bar full of football fans. Seemingly seeking suicide by football hooligan rather than cop, the timid withdrawn Ray provokes and baits them until he ends up battered and in hospital. It feels difficult to imagine this fragile man making this choice yet dramatically it does serve to allow Beth another means to bring Ray back to her father’s home while still unaware of the potential risks for both men.
Rupert Hill leads a strong cast and his writing is profoundly generous allowing some of the other characters the very best lines in the play. Danielle Henry gives a warmth and depth to Beth that shows why every man on stage relies on her in very different ways. Hill exudes vulnerability in an understated way that shows his quiet journey into alcoholism as a path including social acceptance and fatherly encouragement through to using drink to blot out any emotions to the point where he is indeed a husk of a man. This is a strong cast with well crafted characters but the standout performance is David McCreedy as Ray’s fellow inmate and mentor. Stan is an opionated Scotsman who loves Barbra Streisand and now abhors the demon drink. Determined to keep Ray on the right path MacCreedy is utterly brilliant in his role coupling great comic timing with gritty realism as he remains an unwavering support for the fragile Ray.
HUSK shines a powerful light on how alcohol is so readily available and used in so many subtle ways… to celebrate, to commiserate, to build social confidence or help us fit in and blend in, to heighten or to numb our feelings…the list is endless. Ray is in prison because of a misguided loyalty to a man who first introduced him to alcohol and his only path out of prison and staying free is to eschew the demon drink and shake his thirst on healthier ways. Leaving Ray on stage content and bathed in the sunshine while he harvests the fruits of the soil perfectly echoes how Hill may feel as he stands in the spotlight as the curtain comes down on his debut play.
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