The Haunting of Daniel Gartrell

         Late one evening, as the storm rages outside, Australia’s greatest living poet, Daniel Gartrell (James Hagan), sits in the darkness of his suburban home. The wallpaper is peeling and the floor strewn with books – the kind of place that you would wipe your feet on the way out. Gone is the excitement of his youth on a farm. For decades, the only person allowed to enter his dark and very private world, is his daughter Sarah (Sophia Hall). She too is a very lonely country girl, who, despite having a twinkle in her eye, is missing out badly on some of the more important points of life.
        With a loud knock on the door of this run down shack, Craig Castevich (Will O’Mahony) arrives. He is a student actor who is about to play Daniel in an up and coming film. The young, idealistic performer, with no tact whatsoever, attempts to get to know the inner thoughts and secret past, of the self-confessed ‘eccentric arsehole’ of a wily writer.
        At first he thinks that cantankerous Daniel is senile, but as the interview becomes much, much harder than he expected, he wonders who is interrogating whom? Craig soon finds that there are certain triggers which can lead to an immediate withdrawal by the haunted poet. Who will win from these visits?

We see the characters slowly change through the 100 minutes of tightly scripted play. There are multiple twists, as snippets of information are fed slowly to the audience. Although the play has a strong and complex storyline, at no time did you have to struggle to follow the tale. Reg Cribb's amazing writing, coupled with director Kirsty Hillhouse’s clever, imaginative, yet subtle direction holds the audience’s interest 100% of the time. This hilarious black comedy is laced with touching moments and finally true pathos. Directed with finesse.

James Hagan and Will O’Mahony are on stage for practically the whole play (no interval), yet they never faltered for a second. Their dialogue was true to life and inhabited their characters. It is rare to find a brilliant story writer who can also shine as a playwright by creating ‘natural’ conversation.

It is not often that the costumes are part of the script, but Zoë Atkinson’s clothing was spot-on, even getting applause. By having control of both set and lighting, Andrew Lake has managed to twist the set design to give powerful lighting effects from unusual angles. As ever, Kingsley Reeves sound design was stunning, at times crashingly effective, and then seconds later would very softly reflect the sounds of nature outside. Andy Fraser’s attack scene made one cringe and gasp.

This is truly a magnificent story, extremely well acted, with a strong chemistry between the cast. A future Australian classic, prepare to be stunned, don’t miss it.