Wickies: The Vanishing Men of Eilean Mor. Park Theatre, Finsbury Park
The mysterious disappearance of three keepers from the remote Flannan Isle Lighthouse on Boxing Day 1900 continues to fascinate.
For 122 years, this Outer Hebridean puzzle has provided material for writers in search of a storyline, from Dr Who, to the band Genesis, and 2018 film The Vanishing.
Playwright Paul Morrissey is the latest to be drawn to the mystery, his previous work at this venue was another tale of supernatural suspense, the excellent spine chiller When Darkness Falls.
Sadly this time it's a less successful outing for a play which can't decide whether it's a supernatural thriller or an historical account unravelling why a ship found the lighthouse unlocked, the fire and beacon out, chairs overturned, and half eaten food on the table.
The three 'wickies' start their tour of duty: There's Ducat (Ewan Stewart, fatalistic and brooding), MacArthur (Graeme Dalling, aggressive, generally drunk and brooding) and Marshall (Jamie Quinn, young, willing and gullible).
Other than broth making, keeping the lighthouse ship-shape, and the beacon burning, they mostly spend their time telling each other how dreadful everything is. There’s a storm a coming (there always is) and singing shanties is perhaps their strongest life skill.
Stewart, Dalling and Quinn also play characters from the various inquiries that followed the disappearance and so provide a commentary which (unlike the lighthouse) sheds little light on what actually happened.
The star of the show is Zoe Hurwitz’s fabulously atmospheric set. Intended to show the basic living conditions of the Wickies, although it perhaps undermines itself by straying into a shabby chic aesthetic.
While the casting and acting are first rate, and there are some genuinely funny lines, uncertain tonal shifts dilute the drama. With a refocused script, Wickies could tick all the boxes for an unsettling Christmas thriller.
Wickies runs at Park Theatre from November 30 to December 31. https://parktheatre.co.uk/whats-on/wickies-the-vanishing-men-of-eilean-mor
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