Daisy holds the book close, telling us of how she lives with her Aunt following the death of her father. Her Aunt believes that children should be rarely seen and never heard, so Daisy keeps to herself, feeling a kinship with the Bronte sisters, especially Wuthering Heights, and knowing the ins and outs of Briar Hall. Into her life, in search of a cat, creeps Edward, a boy who spends his time alone in the woods surrounding Briar Hall, not really liked or fitting in with his brothers. To Daisy his arrival is destiny and she doesn't want to let her 'Heathcliff' go. While we are warned at the beginning that the characters are very unextraordinary, thankfully, nothing else is.
Tales from Briar Hall has a classic children's story feel; Enid Blyton, some mystery, a little touch of the chillers with a dose of humour, and a splash of Burton, are all mixed into this original play by Katie McCann. Original being the word. From the very start it draws you into the world of Daisy and Edward, taking us deep into the old, creaky, big house feel of the Hall itself, stunningly realised by a brilliantly detailed and atmospheric set, totally transforming the Theatre Upstairs space with shadow and colour, reflecting the ambition of the work and those involved. It is the kind of set bigger venue productions, think West End or beyond, try to deliver, here they have. Production design is credited to Ashleigh Dorrell, Simon Burke, Laura Honan and Aoife Fealy, the latter responsible for a brilliant design in a previous production at Theatre Upstairs, Slippers.
Katie McCann herself takes on the role of Daisy, breathing life wonderfully into this odd, quirky character, controlling her so as not to go too far off centre, having a matter of fact, wide eyed look at times, flipping into something more obsessive when needed, combining into a brilliant performance. Ste Murray's Edward plays well against her, first meeting him in his tree house, he might be seen as a little bit more innocent, although he enjoys catching animals with Skittles, one example of the very quirky, and funny, knowing wit throughout the play. Murray works great with McCann, creating another memorable odd character. They compliment each other well bringing out the comic and creepy moments perfectly, using their expressions and actions to make these off centre characters real and believable, embodying them fully both inside and out as they play the younger characters. Added to this is the voice of the narrator, the inimitable John Kavanagh, which plays into the children's book feel.
The costumes are perfect, again playing into the Enid Blyton, Narnia-esque idea, that not only look right, but you couldn't imagine Daisy or Edward wearing anything else, and they blend into the overall style of the work, each element joining together to create this wonderful whole. The langauge suits the characters just right and never slips up in any way. Laura Honan's lighting design throws the right amount of shadow and light, creating a great effect and atmosphere, again working hand in hand with the ideas and the feel of the piece.
All this is in the talented, caring and creative hands of Jeda De Bri, instilling it with a sense of fun and quirkiness, but never at the expense of character, story or atmosphere. There is the feeling that it wouldn't be what it is without De Bri. Her attention to detail, once again, as I have seen her direction a number of times now (in Slippers and Tactics), is fantastic, bringing a slightly heightened naturalness to it all, filling the play with lovely, sometimes cinematic, touches throughout that enhances the work rather than taking away from it or being a gimmick for the sake of it, while keeping the right amount of control on proceedings. She is a director that I am certain many are keeping their eyes on as she goes from strength to strength.
Stories like this can tend to implode, or run out of rope, or feel forced by the end, thankfully none of that happens here. It works wonderfully well from start to finish. Illustrated Productions have put together a quality piece of theatre, assembling a skilled group to realise it. It is entertaining as well as being a visual treat, conjuring up this strange, wonderful, creepy, funny, atmospheric world of Briar Hall. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and you should do whatever you can to see this brilliant piece of theatre.