The play also poignantly describes the city as being too dark for stars, which do not dare to emerge in fear of being engulfed by the blackness. The constant references to the moon are clever, returning us constantly to the theme of the lunatic. The audience is left not knowing who to trust and what version of events is the most plausible. As the play develops it becomes clear that none of the characters are completely sane. The set is quite simple but full of unnerving touches, the half melted figurine candles being particularly effective.

The production companies, Les Enfants Terribles and Pins and Needles Productions, have created a tense atmosphere throughout by emphasising the ticking of a clock and the scratches on the walls, and the lighting adds to these effects with constant reminders of the moon. This leads Ernest into a spiral of madness and murder which is not as predictable as the audience originally expects. Gwendolyn, oblivious to Ernest's existence, falls in love with another man. Ernest watches a beautiful woman from his apartment block and slowly his obsession with her builds. It is clear to see the influence these gothic stories had on author, Oliver Lansley, when writing this decidedly creepy series of events. The story was inspired by the works of Edgar Allen Poe and Alfred Hitchcock.

Daily Info Menu login / register List event Place adĮrnest and the Pale Moon is a weird hour of theatre, encompassing murder, obsession and madness.

Ernest and the pale moon