Imagine Theatre’s musical comedy-horror Hen Night Horror follows a lively trio of long time friends — with bridesmaids Lydia (Louise Mccarthy) and Donna (Frances Thorburn) eager to give the bride-to-be Amanda (Kim Shepherd) the perfect holiday before the wedding. But with a wander in the woods the group are quick to find out that a highland cabin in the middle of nowhere can be much more than idyllic scenery and picture-perfect moments sipping champagne in a hot tub.
Initially the drama begins with gossip and bridesmaid mumbles that Amanda wants firmly resolved before the wedding, but with mysterious figures lurking around the cabin the drama takes many turns in increasingly exciting directions as the story progresses. The plot is truly exhilarating, packed full of twists and turns that you don’t see coming and are bewildered to find do.
The excellent score and exciting lighting was key to building tension as well as delivering jump-scare frights that were gripping but not too terrifying as to spoil the fun. This paired well with the precise timing of Matthew McKenna’s mimed performance as PC Walters which was crucial to how the performance would have you on the edge of your seat.
Overall, the lighting truly elevated the production: it was key to the atmosphere and shifts in tone, and thoroughly commendable. Unfortunately, however, there were some technical challenges with aspects of the lighting and the smoke machine that resulted in the performance I attended being paused temporarily. But even with these challenges the cast and crew still delivered an excellent and delightful performance with the only limitation being that the movement of the set wasn’t as seamless or speedy as was definitely achievable.
As with many comedies, not every joke landed. But the number that did out of an extensive amount made resulted in an overall tremendous success.
The demographic the show is aiming for eluded me, with a notable number of the jokes seeming best for a middle-aged crowd but many of them being suited to a wider audience. The performance delivered bawdy humour, titillating the audience with ever-escalating absurdity.
The piece was somehow real and grounded despite being fundamentally and increasingly absurd throughout — every moment at which you thought it couldn’t get more ridiculous, it would. The only significant issue worth noting is that the volume was not ideal during some sections of the musical numbers, such that it was challenging to decipher the words being sung as they were overshadowed by the much louder instrumentals.
Overall, Hen Night Horror is a delightful show with excellent performances all around/from the whole cast. If you’re partial to the humorously indecent then I would highly recommend seeing this show about an evening of what should be simple fun turns into anything but.
Hen Night Horror is running throughout October, 9-10 at St Helens Theatre Royal, 13 at Airdrie Town Hall, 14-15 at Adam Smith Theatre Kirkcaldy, 18 at Beacon Arts Centre Greenock, 21-22 at Tivoli Theatre Aberdeen, 23-24 at Dundee Rep, and 29-31 at Glasgow Pavilion.
Images provided by Storytelling PR on behalf of Hen Night Horror
