The Croft – Liverpool Playhouse

Returning to the stage for a second life after its original run, under the direction of Philip Franks, was curtailed due to the pandemic, revival director Alastair Whatley successfully oversees changes to the original cast and script in this intriguing and intelligent piece of theatre from writer Ali Milles based on a true story.

Beginning in the present day, Laura (Gracie Follows) has brought her lover, Suzanne (Caroline Harker), to the Highlands to stay in her parents’ holiday home, a former crofter’s cottage, primarily to focus on their burgeoning relationship, but where the challenges of its remoteness and isolation from the modern world play on Suzanne’s need to stay in touch with an ex-husband and two teenage children, and the nature of their relationship provides much consternation to the mysterious ghillie, David (Gray O’Brien), who has known Laura since she was a child.

Emerging from the misty shadows, comes the story of Enid (Liza Goddard), the original inhabitant of the croft during the1800’s who is sheltering Eileen (Follows), the daughter of the local lord, Patrick (Simon Roberts), who has cast her out for falling pregnant out of wedlock to Alec (O’Brien), and whose accusations of witchcraft serve as an excuse to  burn them out as part of the wider Highland Clearances although an advance warning from Ronald (Russell Layton) offers a potential escape.

Finally, the current tale takes a reversionary turn of some ten years as we meet Ruth (Harker) whose personal struggles cut across her relationships with her husband Tom (Roberts), daughter Laura, and the ever-mysterious David.

Three women, condemned for their relationships, seeking refuge across the ages in a place where memories are etched into so much more than the physical landscape and where the myth of the selkie hints at something else in this bold and deeply moving exploration of love, loss, and the haunting echoes of history.

Adrian Linford’s staging is both simple and intricate in holding us to the one place whilst affording the necessary level of detail, and although there is a hint of the outside world, the action is predominantly contained within the interior of the croft which reinforces the sense of claustrophobia each character experiences within themself.

Chris Davey’s atmospheric lighting design and composer Max Pappenheim’s haunting sound design provide the necessary flickering lights and mood music but more importantly supports the rising tension throughout which reinforces this gripping drama.

The cast perform strongly and whose multiple role-playing moves us seamlessly between the intricate story threads without any confusion whilst reinforcing the parallels between the three women, their lives, and the challenges they face, with Harker offering the resolute voice of reason to both roles whilst Goddard revels with her witchlike wisdom and defiance. O’Brien’s hints of mystery firmly put him at the heart of the two recent stories with a suggestion of so much more, whilst Roberts captures the patriarch whose intentions and approach haven’t changed much over time. Follows embodies the hopeful enthusiasm of youth in her roles, and whose hauntingly beautiful vocal suggests there is so much more to this tale than meets the eye.

This is a drama that assumes its audience are intelligent enough to fathom out the conundrums it presents us with, and whilst some are easier and more obvious than others, to be left with questions and wondering ‘what if’ at its conclusion ultimately makes for the best compliment as I contemplate an early return to watch it again in case I missed something.

The Croft plays at Liverpool Playhouse through to 5^th July with further details and booking at https://everymanplayhouse.com/event/the-croft/

Original Theatre have been touring productions since 2004, with further details on the company and its current suite of productions at https://originaltheatre.com

Reviewer: Mark Davoren

Reviewed: 1^st July 2025

North West End UK Rating: