Theatre Review: Possession, Tobacco Factory Theatres

Summary: Possession is a story about two lovers who have moved to a remote cottage in the heart of Dartmoor in order to make some changes in their life and explore new opportunities. One evening, as a storm brews across the moors, the lines between love and possession become blurred as the night becomes filled with drugs, tension and mentions of the occult.

Rating: ★★★★

Running Dates: Tuesday 9th July - Saturday 13th July 2024

Where to see it: Tobacco Factory Theatres

Duration: 72 minutes

Keywords: Intense, Dark Humour, Possession

Review

From start to finish, Possession is enthralling. It’s not a sunny play, there are smatterings of humour, but it is dark and tortured.

The Spielman Theatre at Tobacco Factory is an intimate room with black curtains and dark, bare walls, and the stage sits on the floor, not separated from the audience by being raised up high, but right there as you walk in to take your seat.

It was the perfect setting for this play. Possession, written by Darkstuff Productions’ creative team and directed by Moveable Type’s Danielle McIlven, is beautifully intense. It centres around a couple who has moved to a cottage in Dartmoor for new opportunities, namely putting on a photography exhibition in Exeter. However, the move has caused extreme tension and imbalance among the couple and pressures build as drugs are taken, drinks are drank and the couple’s bad patterns threaten to bring it all crashing down.

With a cast of only two (who play their parts superbly), the play is incredibly intimate. You hear every scoff, every utterance, every painful jab and jibe at each other. It build and builds, and while there is no big final act, you are waiting with baited breathe for something to happen at any moment, watching this couple teeter on the edge of collapse. It was incredibly thrilling!

I hadn’t really seen a theatre production like this before and I really enjoyed the “small-ness” of it. Being so close to the actors, smelling the fumes from a candle when it was blown out, it begs you to put yourself in their shoes and be affected by what is happening. Possession’s deep dive into toxic patterns of behaviour and reliance in relationships was bold and excellently portrayed, and it’s exploration into mental health and isolation was quite profound.

From start to finish, Possession is enthralling. It’s not a sunny play, there are smatterings of humour, but it is dark and tortured. It says so much and yet asks you as an audience to fill in the blanks with your own experiences and dare I say, traumas. I would highly recommend it if you like edge-of-your-seat reflections of human nature and relationships.

Standout Quote or Moment: The couple standing and looking out the window at the night sky, watching a meteor shower together. The lighting changed, the mood lifted and we were given a few moments of rest before the tension continued to brew.

Last Impression: A great play with two brilliant actors exploring intense themes with a touch of dark comedy.

To see more Tobacco Factory Theatre upcoming productions

We were kindly gifted these tickets in exchange for a review.

Written by Amy Evans