Agnes Of God. There’s something in the title alone which is very chilling, and alludes to the possibility of a spine-tingling performance. Whilst I was relieved to find that the play itself was not horror based, and therefore hiding my face behind a pillow not necessary, the performance was extremely engaging, thrilling and left all of the audience in suspense throughout.
The play itself tells the story of Dr Martha Livingston, a court appointed psychiatrist, who is sent to evaluate Sister Agnes. Sister Agnes is a young nun who has recently born a child, which mysteriously was found strangled. Dr Livingston must work out what is truth and what isn’t in this very twisty tale.
In the role of Dr Livingston, Lotte Fletcherjonk absolutely excelled. She demonstrated an incredibly high level of acting, delivering a performance that was flawless and entirely believable. The character herself was incredibly complex, battling trauma from her past and the assumptions that she has created in her present, and Lotte was truly excellent at demonstrating Dr Livingston’s obvious internal conflict as to her feelings toward religion and her feelings towards Agnes.
Sorcha Lockyer was also a force to be reckoned with in the role of Agnes. Again, Agnes was a very complex character, childlike at first meeting, but with a clear darker side which is explored throughout the play. The role was delivered with exceptional confidence, and with great skill. In addition, I must commend Sorcha on her vocal talent. It takes great vocal skill to be able to sing a cappella as beautifully as she did. Whilst her voice was beautiful, it also added a creepier dimension to the performance which was great.
When we imagine nuns, in most cases there is an expectation of maturity and piety and Leah Nicholls delivered this exceptionally well. Similarly, to the other characters, this woman was not all she seemed and there was an undercurrent of a secretive nature along with a sense of humour. The most engaging scenes throughout the performance were between Dr Livingston and Mother Miriam, especially when having heated discussions regarding science and religion. These were entirely believable and some of the results of those conversations had members of the audience gasping in shock!
A quick shout out to lighting as well. I really liked the use of lighting to distinguish between the present and flashbacks.
All in all, a very good show. If you want to leave your troubles behind and submerse yourself in a mystery performed by three very accomplished actresses, this is the play for you.
