STORY PLACEMENT THIS EPISODE TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE
BIG FINISH AUDIOS "WIRRN DAWN."
WRITTEN BY BARNABY EDWARDS
DIRECTED BY BARNABY EDWARDS
RECOMMENDED PURCHASE BIG FINISH 8TH DOCTOR CD#3.3 (ISBN 1-84435- 395-8) RELEASED IN MAY 2009.
BLURB
1827. The
GERMAN
town
of Orlok is
curseD,
haunted
by
the memory of
a
spate of grisly
murders
that
ONCE
shattered
the
community.
At
the time, FOLK
blamed
the Beast
of Orlok, a
night-
marish
creature
from
medieval
folklore. And
now,
it
seems, the Beast
has
returned.
As
the killings begin
again,
the people of
Orlok
are suspicious
of
two strangers,
newly
arrived in
their midst.
LUCIE AND
THE
Doctor must face
their
darkest fears
as
they ARE plunged
into
a decidedly grim
fairytale... |
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The Beast of Orlok 4TH APRIL 2009 - 11TH APRIL 2009 (2 EPISODES)
Barnaby Edwards’ contribution to this third season of Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith plays is The Beast of Orlok - a gruesome and gothic tale that would have been right at home somewhere in the early years of Tom Baker’s tenure on television.
“With fangs like splinters, claws like knives, the Beast of Orlok gobbles lives. With brimstone breath and eyes aglow, he’ll eat your soul - to Hell you’ll go!”
And whilst this lyrical two-parter doesn’t see the return of an adversary from the early Tom Baker era in the same way that the releases at either side of it do, very much in the style of that time Edwards’ story skilfully fuses a deluge of eclectic elements from sources as diverse as the Brothers Grimm’s Hänsel und Gretel, Nosferatu, Sleepy Hollow and Frankenstein. It also, much to my amusement, features a character called ‘Zoff’, which I think feels delightfully incongruous in the fairytale surroundings!
Having also directed and co-produced this story, Edwards is also able to take a lot of credit for the production’s ultimate style and wonderful ambience. The Beast of Orlok truly brings to life 19th century Germany in extraordinary fashion, somehow managing to engender both a fable-like quality and a perverse sense of realism at the same time. Andy Hardwick’s sound design is also particularly evocative on this one, and his score suitably stirring.
Of course, Edwards can’t be held totally accountable for the performances of the cast, but there’s not a bad one to be found here in any event. Samuel Barnett of The History Boys fame is the standout guest star as one of the two ‘super golems’, Hans, but to be honest I found myself wowed by Sheridan Smith to the detriment of just about everyone else. The Beast of Orlok is a fantastic story for Lucie with lots for the character to do, and Smith really takes full advantage of the favourable script. In fairness though, Paul McGann also gives a duly rousing performance, as he so often does, but for me it is Smith that really steals the show.
On a more downbeat note, I found the story’s first episode to be a little too traditional for my own tastes; a quality that is perhaps more prominent than it otherwise might have been, given that this play follows hot on the heels of the far less conventional duet of Orbis and Hothouse. That said, come the second episode all bets are off as events take several astonishing turns on their way to play’s cleverly-crafted climax.
And so to sum up, whilst I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I did Edwards’ lovely offering last year, The Bride of Peladon, The Beast of Orlok is a two-part story that I suspect will prove very popular indeed, particularly with listeners who like their Doctor Who to have a distinctly traditional flavour, and those who have a fondness for the Philip Hinchliffe / Robert Holmes era of the television series with which this third season of eighth Doctor and Lucie audio adventures has much in common.
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Copyright © E.G. Wolverson 2009
E.G. Wolverson has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. |
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