Presented by Gilded Balloon and Redbeard Theatre in assoc with Holden Street Theatres
Reviewed 18 February 2020
Henry Naylor is renowned for his complex and spell binding stories and The Nights is no exception. FitzCarter, a reporter with a fierce hatred of ISIS and all it stands for wants to get a comment from Kane, a former soldier. A Jihadi bride wants to return home from Syria and FitzCarter thinks she will get a strong quote from someone who fought in that war. FitzCarter’s hatred is fuelled by the beheading death of a colleague, a picture that still haunts, but Kane has demons of his own to face and cannot see things in black and white.
On a characteristically simple stage, the action unfolds with editorial input from both characters. Aoife Lennon plays FitzCarter with intensity, holding the moral ground strongly until Kane’s reaction causes her to rethink her position. Nicholas Boulton gives us a Kane who is closed off, unwilling to revisit past memories until his past is prised open by FitzCarter’s persistence.
Naylor is a skilled craftsman and his script allows the audience to feel the tension between these two and the horror that the questioning uncovers. Louise Skaaning’s tight direction keeps the story moving with minimal movement, all enhanced with the limited lighting and the evocative sound.
Holden Street have again brought us a Fringe gem.
Reviewed by Fran Edwards
Twitter: @franeds
Rating out of 5: 5
Venue: Holden Street Theatres – The Arch
Season: 11 – 15 Mar 2020
Duration: 60 mins
Tickets: $18-$28
Bookings: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/the-nights-by-henry-naylor-af2020
Cover photo (cropped) by Annette Willis, featuring actors Nicholas Boulton and Aoife Lennon.
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