Uncle Monty’s Antique Shop does not appear on Google Maps, according to the social media influencer who wanders in there by accident.
Soon she finds herself drawn into the type of claustrophobic portmanteau anthology of twisted tales which were once the hallmark of the Amicus horror studio.
The play, co-written and directed by Alexander Wright and Nina Atesh (who also takes on the role of the accidental customer), premiered at the intimate little theatre located on the upstairs floor of the Lion and Unicorn in Kentish Town.
Nicolas Benjamin (Alexander Wright under his stage name) plays the eccentric, slightly unhinged Uncle Monty, whose shop exists on some sort of liminal plane and whose collection of items each have a strange tale to tell.
Remaining cast members Shanice Pelitaire, Akshay Sharan and Ryan Williams take on multiple roles as assorted items reveal their stories.
Four tales from Uncle Monty’s collection
A camera is the gateway to a dystopian society ruled by a vain and conceited dictator, where a photographer is inadvertently draining his life away in a slow assassination based on the old folk belief that a picture can steal part of the soul.
A gun opens a portal to a tense standoff between two opposing combatants in a brutal war, who are locked in a room together, and where the dark war crimes in the past of one prisoner will have violent and fatal consequences for the other.
Next up, a transistor radio takes the audience to the victim of an abduction who turns the tables on her tormentor with the aid of ghostly voices communicating over the airwaves.
The final item is a laptop which takes us to the near future, where the world is on the brink of destruction and a scientist is making a presentation to his board (the audience) about the culmination of his life’s work.
Susannah is an advanced android with the ability to mimic human brainwaves. Inevitably, a Frankenstein scenario plays out as she turns on her creator.
The customer’s escape
While these stories play out, it is slowly dawning on the accidental customer that she has inadvertently walked into a trap she may never escape from. The shop door has mysteriously disappeared, and the jovial Uncle Monty seems to be becoming increasingly sinister in his motives.
The climax comes with the customer realising she will now be obliged to tell the tale of her necklace and Uncle Monty revealing that the story of his own pocket watch will be the last she’ll ever hear.
Performances at the Lion and Unicorn
Nicolas Benjamin and Nina Atesh do an excellent job of anchoring the unfolding stories within the environs of the strange shop. Ryan Williams makes effective use of different accents to bring his characters to life.
Shanice Pelitaire is unsettling as the disturbed and paranoid kidnap victim and deliciously creepy as the android, Susannah, while Akshay Sharan deftly portrays three very different characters, each brought down by their personal flaws.
The play is one of five chosen from 50 entries for a season of new works at the Lion and Unicorn. Hopefully, there will be more spooky stuff to come from the Pither Productions team in the future.
