Simon Ward reviews Werewolf Sighted In Port Talbot at the Old Red Lion Theatre

Following a successful run as part of GrimFest in October last year, Andy Sellers’s debut dark comedy returns to the Old Red Lion. The multi-talented Mr Sellers, whose performance I thoroughly enjoyed in last month’s Mother.Dad at the Omnibus Theatre, also stars in this show as Ben, the hapless boyfriend of Ffion (Lucy Havard). She has recently made him aware that, once a month, she will undergo a rather dramatic transformation – she is, in fact, a werewolf. Determined not to let a little thing like lycanthropy get in the way of their relationship, and wanting to be supportive, Ben has asked to come along and help, as best he can, during this month’s change. Thus, the two find themselves in a tent on a hillside above Port Talbot, with Ffion behaving increasingly oddly, and the night-time sounds getting eerier and eerier.

Director Adrian Greensmith delivers us the play in bite-sized nuggets, with nerve-jangling blackouts in between, expertly ramping up the tension. The play opens in classic horror fashion with a voiceover of humdrum everyday chat which is shattered by an ear-piercing scream. We know we in for an uncomfortable night.

Havard is excellent as she paces nervously and stretches uncomfortably in anticipation of her change, and it is with reluctance that she spells out exactly what is going to happen, in gruesome detail. Meanwhile, Sellers brilliantly treads the line between charming and annoying as he desperately tries to understand what is about to happen, and what it might mean for their relationship. As this is essentially a rom-com with a twist, there is, of course, a rival to be jealous of, in the form of Malcolm, self-proclaimed leader of the local werewolf pack. We never meet him, but he looms quite large. He is the recipient of suspiciously warm voice notes from Ffion; is he maybe the reason why she can’t tell Ben she loves him back? And what is it with him demanding money all the time?

With any werewolf-based story, there is always the thorny question of what terrible things they might do while they are transformed. We get a taste of that here as Ffion’s snack of choice as she is limbering up for the change is some kind of (disgustingly realistic) raw meat. Her justification that their target victim is racist and anyway old does ring a bit hollow. They circle each other nervously, but tensions finally come to a terrifying head when they are interrupted by a woman (Jenny Wall) who at first seems to need their help.

Sellers has written a brilliantly effective, chilling comedy. Is he asking which of us ever really knows everything about our partner, and would we really want to? And maybe, nobody is perfect, but good enough can also work. It is touching to see Ffion and Ben trying to make a go of it against all the odds, and it would be unseemly to dwell too much on what they have to do to get there.

Werewolf Sighted In Port Talbot is running at the Old Red Lion Theatre, 418 St John Street, London EC1V 4NJ until Saturday 28th February