The biography/bibliography of H P Lovecraft, the one hour, two-man play charts the highlights and pitfalls of the master of Sci-do; H P Lovecraft.
From his strange relationship with his mother, to his racist tendencies, Providence holds nothing back as Edgar Allen Poe joins Lovecraft for a look through his life after first act suicide attempt.
Between historical references are fictional reenactments of some of H P's famous works that culminate in Lovecraft's demise.
Simon Maeder is as wonderful as ever. He is able to bring about an infectious humour, that is largely due to his ability to disarm, charm and frighten and the switch of a single facial muscle.
Normally seen as part of Superbolt productions, Simon is able to hold his own on a small stage with only one other person to bounce off. It's fascinating to see Simon take on yet another persona that is vastly different from those seen in Edinburgh Fringe favourite's Jurassic Parks and Mars Actually.
Dominic Allen is a wonderful comedian who is able to change characters with ease. As his personality changes mount up to interact with Simon's Lovecraft, it's easy to see the attempt at differentiation is almost unnecessary; which adds entirely to the humour. He was able to rattle through accents with delightful ease, but it was when playing Poe that Allen seemed at home.
The staging was minimal, but effective. It allowed emphasis to be placed upon other aspects.
The lighting was tone perfect and played upon the gothic nature of the plot. My favourite sequence used the bare brick of the Vault's archway and red lighting to draw upon the fear of the audience.
However, it was the music that truly drew this piece together. I know very little about Lovecraft considering I'm a Sci-fi fanatic and it was only through my love of Rick and Morty that I even discovered 'Lovecraft' was an author and not a sub genre of sci-of itself. This said, the music used would, to me, be the very definition of Lovecraft.
I would love to insist you all go see this hauntingly brilliant production. Alas, tonight was it's last performance. However, the Vault festival is still running and there are plenty of things to see. Also follow Superbolt Theatre for new about up coming Productions.