Are we running away from our demons or towards them? Rachel Bellman’s debut play, These Demons, takes us to a creepy cottage on the edge of the woods. Moody teen, Leah is trying to piece together who attacked her aunt and why. When big sister, Danielle, arrives to take her back to school, the siblings must fight the spirits within and beyond the cottage walls.
The witchy setting is brought into the 21st century via a dodgy Wi-Fi connection and a cat called Barbera (Streisand). Bellman’s text whirls through tales of Jewish mysticism, weaving a modern family drama with Wesker-esque intergenerational themes, and, under Jasmine Teo’s inventive direction, jump scares almost worthy of The Woman in Black.
Bellman is equally good with comedy and horror, and her dialogue has an authentic and overtly Jewish tone. The tight cast tackle the material with dexterity; Liv Andrusier’s uptight Danielle is brilliantly sharp and Ann Marcuson’s aunt Mirah is splendid (I’m already looking forward to the next time I see Marsuson on stage). But the play belongs to Olivia Marcus and her unrelenting, compelling Leah. This comedy-horror deals with being othered and Leah is a perfectly gormless protagonist, uncomfortable in her own skin and constantly questioning the world around her.
Sophie Firth’s set and Skylar Turnbull’s lighting establish the spooky setting. A heavy-handed soundscape is countered by Theatre 503’s cosy space and the October evening outside.
The production is at its climax when Leah is in peril in the woods and her narrative entwines with the mythological figure of Lilith. Here, Teo’s staging has an electric tension, and, although the overly convoluted narrative does not quite live up to this moment, it is hugely satisfying.
These Demons was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting in 2021 and it’s clear to see why. What Bellman has done with the neat three-hander is impressive and her use of Jewish demonology is sorely entertaining, yet the play never quite gets to the heart of the spell. The main demon, an unseen teenage boy, remains an antisemitic mystery; just out of view, we never understand what or who he is.
Perhaps the demon of this play is antisemitism itself or the othering that happens to those who do not sit neatly within the boxes of our world, be that village, town, church, synagogue, or sixth form.
These Demons is at Theatre503 until 14th October 2023
