Review: The Devil in the Belfry by Edgar Allan Poe at Barons Court Theatre 24 – 28 September

‘the clock strikes 13 and the “natural order of things” is compromised  - cleverly manipulated props become much more than meets the eye’ ★★★★

In a small theatre below a cosy pub in West London, a story is told. It is a story set in a town called Vondorvotteimittis. It is a town where order is valued and everything is always as it seems. It sits, nestled between beautiful hills, where “time is king and the cabbage is queen”. In pride of place in the town’s square (“which is in fact a circle”) there is a bell tower constructed out of cabbages, carrots and buttresses of celery, designed by “geniuses whose names are sadly forgotten”. It is a story that one may be forgiven for thinking is entirely unfamiliar, a comic romp into the unknown but, in fact, beneath the mounds of veg and strained notes of the violin, tolls notes of familiarity.

The story is told to us by Handel Fledermaus, an anxious yet passionate protagonist inhabited by Dave Robb. Robb leaps about the stage as our narrator, deftly switching into multiple roles as the story, originally penned by Edgar Allan Poe and adapted for the stage by Robb, comes to life: a crotchety mayor, a wide-smiled young woman, a flatulent husband and, of course, the ‘devil’ that this story takes its name from. This uninvited and mischievous stranger arrives and wreaks havoc on the town. Thanks to his doings, the clock strikes 13 and the “natural order of things” is compromised, for this is a town whose motto states: “there is nothing wholesome outside of Vondorvotteimittis”. 

Directed expertly by Flavia D’Avila the small stage filled by just a chair, a coat stand and a violin becomes the perfect setting for the vigorous and multi-layered plot.  Cleverly manipulated props become much more than meets the eye as does Handel’s story. The fourth wall is broken many times, serving as a reminder that we, the audience, as are much a part of the telling of this story as our protagonist. Beyond the walls of this theatre, is it a city that echoes Vondorvotteimitiss’ inward looking values or is it one that extends the hand of friendship? Well, that’s up to us.

On in the Baron’s Court Theatre until the 28^th of September, The Devil in the Belfry is a show that deserves to be seen.

The Devil in the Belfry by Edgar Allan Poe at Barons Court Theatre 24 – 28 September

Written and performed by Dave Robb

Directed and produced by Flavia D’Avila

Box Office: https://app.lineupnow.com/event/the-devil-in-the-belfry-by-edgar-allan-poe