★★★★
Picnic at Hanging Rock passes like some sort of fever dream. Beth Frances directs a fast-paced, hallucinatory version of the 1967 novel written by Joan Lindsay, performed at the Hope Street Theatre, Liverpool. It tells of the unsolved mystery of three missing schoolgirls and a teacher who vanish on St Valentine’s day in 1900, in the Australian sun without a trace.
After a brief, eerie monologue setting the scene of a burning, tectonic Australia, the performance all but careens onto the stage. Five schoolgirls (Juliette Collins, Hosanna Starkey, Lucy Hickman-Germon, Holly Lawless, Lucie Rose) are immediately brought to life, as each performer multi-roles through different characters in a frenetic, teenaged energy kind of way. It is funny, entertaining, and highly reminiscent of high school mockery and general tomfoolery. Before they know it, the audience are transported onto a horse and cart journey to Hanging Rock, where even more characters are thrown into the mix. The pacing is impressive—if sometimes a bit dizzying—and the ability of each actor to switch roles convincingly sustains the energetic chaos of the scene.
Hanging Rock, described as a haven of wildlife, is where things start to unravel. Interchanging with ease between students and teachers the performers compel in each role as they meander into the forest never to return. What follows is a chilling documentary-esque dive into the lives of the schoolgirls and everyone around them as the mystery deepens. The script alternates between tense spiralling scenes and quick-witted escapades- credit where it is due that the cast maintain both suspense and humour throughout.
A brief ode to indigenous life is welcomed towards the end of the performance through a monologue of naming: what it is to name and rename. The indigenous name for Hanging Rock isn’t quite mentioned, but perhaps that only adds weight to the depths of colonisation.
Simple staging allows an eerie soundtrack to create the growing atmosphere of dread. Complete with grainy projections onto the set, and jaunty interjections, Picnic at Hanging Rock manages to stay one step ahead of its audience. Dynamic staging means that any weaker performances are quickly swept along in the next performer seizing the stage. At times disjointed, the performance stays afloat through the constant energy of the cast.
Occasionally straying into confusion, but with all the best ingredients required for a good dose of a spine-tingling thrill, Picnic at Hanging Rock is thoroughly entertaining. Captivating from the off, and brought to life by impressive direction, the mystery of the missing will linger long after the lights go down.
Words by Hannah Goldswain.
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.