He Had Hairy Hands, Pleasance Courtyard

By Amy Stow

Looking for some gruesome, wacky humour with a murder mystery to solve and some cleverly devised choreography? Then look no further! He Had Hairy Hands gives all this, and more, in just over an hour’s worth of spooky, gore-packed fun. The 4 actors, with their white painted faces and 1970s hairstyles, tear their way through a Goosebumps-style story, set in Hemlock-Under-Lye, where for years rumours of a werewolf have instilled fear in the local community. Several recent murders mean that the killer – a werewolf? – is on the loose, and Officer Andy and ex-Detective, supernatural-loving Whitechapel must battle it out together to find him.

The actors are all wonderfully comical, creating larger-than-life characters that fit perfectly with the freaky nature of the piece. There is, of course, plenty of cross-dressing, ageing up, werewolf action, a love interest, and a lot of extremely inventive choreography that is a joy to watch. With such a tightly-knit, talented troupe of actors, you know that nothing can go wrong in their hands. It is also a testament to director Clem Garritty that this production seems so slick and innovative, and the collaborative nature of He Had Hairy Hands is compounded by the fact that the entire company devised the piece together.

The set is clever, using a screen to project animated backdrops (created by Alex Purcell) for each scene – necessary given the fast-moving pace of the play. The plot has a twist at the end, and whilst lighting and haze create a freaky feel, children and adults alike will enjoy He Had Hairy Hands in all its silly, spooky glory.

★★★★

He Had Hairy Hands (@Kill_Beast)

Pleasance Courtyard

18:30 (1 hr 10 mins)

Until August 25th

@PostScriptJour

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