Returning to the stage after Covid-19 prematurely ended its original run, The Croft, directed by Alastair Whatley and written by Ali Milles provided many a fright when it opened in Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre.
Set in a former crofters hut in a remote area of the Scottish Highlands, this production sees Laura (Gracie Follows) and Suzanne (Caroline Harker) arrive for what is meant to be a relaxed weekend trip. It isn’t long before the place’s centuries of history weaves itself into the women’s present. With no phone signal available and only the mysterious David (Gray O’Brien) for company, this thrilling piece of theatre connects past and present as the real truth of The Croft slowly unravels.
The whole pace of the show is fantastic. Running at 2 hours, including the interval, audiences are sure to keep engaged throughout thanks to Milles’ writing. The script itself keeps us on the edge of our seats wondering what might happen next. This is thriller theatre done right. But it’s not only the scarier moments that are engaging as Milles presents us with two complex and considered characters in Laura and Suzanne. Wrapped up in a secret romance, and with twenty-odd years between them, these women managed to bring some incredible conflict while providing the performance with a lot of heart.
This is all down to the performance of Follows and Harker. As Suzanne, Harker masterfully switches between emotional states as she grapples with being with Laura while also being miles away from her own children. Harker plays Suzanne as a very strong-minded individual but gives us so much subtext to her genuine dilemma. There are a few moments in the piece where conflicts can reach a peak which Harker does with amazing believability.
As Laura, Follows opposes Suzanne with her more youthful energy and the connection she holds to the crofters hut. From the beginning of the play, we can tell there are a lot of things Laura isn’t saying. Follows has done amazing work to focus on the ‘show, don’t tell’ model that makes theatre so good as we see Laura’s struggle to connect to her old and new life merging together. In addition, she doubles up to play Eileen as the historical past of the piece takes to the stage. In this role, Follows must be commended for portraying a genuine sounding Scottish accent despite it not being her natural sound.
Adrian Linford, the production designer, has created a well-thought-out set. The majority of the action takes place within the crofters hut, which sits snuggly stage left while the right side is used as the outdoor space. With so little of the outside space being used, the performers feel deliberately trapped with each other, ramping up the tension and conflict already ever present.
The Croft is a fantastic piece of thriller theatre. It doesn’t rely on lazy loud noises and screams to scare its audience. Instead, it builds tension throughout the story itself to unsettle the spectators. We know something is coming, we just don’t know what it will be and when it will come. This continued engagement and guessing makes The Croft a standout piece in the genre.
The Croft runs at the Festival Theatre until June 28th before going to Liverpool Playhouse from the 1st to the 5th of July, tickets for the tour are available at https://www.thecrofttour.co.uk/
Reviewer: Dylan Mooney
Reviewed: 25th June 2025
North West End UK Rating:
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