REVIEW: THE TRAPPED DOE by Estelle Philips at The Etcetera Theatre 10th-11th January 2024

‘Stories made for radio that need more work for the stage’

Few shows on the London stage express as strong an affinity for nature as this one, its set dotted throughout with figure of animal life while idyllic countryside vistas are projected onto the back curtain – all supporting Estelle Phillips center-stage as she narrates her 4 chosen tales to the audience.

Each story by Phillips revolves around human interaction with nature, often explicitly embracing the supernatural while at the same time retaining an air of optimism that the needs of man and nature are not as separate as we may think. It can be a somewhat volatile mix, but Phillips keeps the stories cohesive through her abilities as an effective and enthusiastic storyteller, the strength of her voice giving clear evidence of her prior experience sharing these stories over the radio.

But beyond this solid core the show is lacking. The projected video content doesn’t amount to much more than a slideshow of someone’s holiday photos, used in transitions but never during the action and in the process rarely creating a sense of anything. Worse still is the fact that immersion in the story becomes all the more key because of this, but on the night one vital thing prevented this – the man with the small video camera who dashed up and down the front row. It’s understandable if recording is being done for any performance, but here it quite clearly failed to be discreet.

Finally, though the night starts on a high with the tale of the titular Trapped Doe and the tense action required to save it brought wonderfully to life by Phillips, the stories become less interesting as the night goes on before ending on a sour note. The last story of a Headless Horseman is both the most repetitive and lengthy entry, recycling plot devices from earlier tales while badly outstaying the welcome its content can support.

It’s clear how these stories gained praise when done over the radio, and while none of their charm has been lost in this translation to the stage nothing has really been added to take advantage of the new medium - more work and development is needed before the piece can really deliver as theatre.

The Trapped Doe showing at The Etcetera Theatre 10th-11th January 2024

Written and Performed by Estelle Philips

Reviewed by Harry Conway