REVIEW

Lotty’s War

Wyvern Theatre

until Saturday

A RIVETING thriller from start to finish, set in WWII enemy-occupied Channel Islands, with a dangerous passion following throughout.. that’s what the audience watching Lotty’s War were faced with when the production started its run at the Wyvern Theatre last night.

Based on a true story, the play grabs your full attention as soon as it starts and doesn't let go until the very end. Such is the intense grip, every single audience member appeared to jump whenever a gun went off.

With the last boat to England gone, Lotty is housed in close quarters with a German general. Being under the same roof as the enemy causes her obvious problems but then comes the unexpected dilemma of a forbidden love.

Lotty is shunned by the local community as she is seen as a traitor, but will her new passion allow her to still help a loyal friend? No spoilers in this review.

The fact that there are only three main actors on the stage throughout (with a quick additional appearance by a fourth actor) and only one set, makes this thriller even more impressive.

The skills of the performers are outstanding, especially Ian Reddington as General Rolf Bernberg, and the atmosphere of the entire production, accompanied by intermittent eerie music, is suitably sinister.

The director of Lotty’s War, Bruce Guthrie, has certainly managed to get the utmost from the cast and the creative way that the show portrays the passage of time is genius.

Lotty’s War was actually written by island-born Giuliano Crispini and first premiered in Guernsey in 2008 at the Princess Centre of Performing Arts before its first National tour 2014.

It wasn’t a full house at the Wyvern last night but it was filled to a satisfactory level. It certainly deserves an appreciative crowd every night from now until the end of the run.

KELLY JOBANPUTRA