“You looking for that Victorian thing, love?” was how an elderly local at the Rock Inn greeted us on Saturday night. Despite no outside traces of a ‘Victoriana Extravaganza’, we took his word for it and entered the pub. Gruffly he pointed us to a door at the back of the charming old building – a moment later we were transported to another world.
Climbing a set of rickety stairs, illuminated by fairy lights and covered in feathers, we entered what can only be described as a ‘playroom’. That is, if Edgar Allen Poe had ever had children. Within seconds of the door swinging shut, a gigantic jack-in-the box started to screech and wail, while a broken doll started to cavort around the room. The floor was covered with broken records, toys and musical instruments, while the walls played host to colleges of Victorian artefacts and a silent film.
Downstairs was even more surreal. We were immediately approached by a deranged Charlie Chaplin character who grabbed us round the neck with callipers and dragged us away to his doll workshop. This was filled with drills, saws and what appeared to be jars of blood. After escaping from him as quickly as possible, we encountered a mute boot-shine boy with bleeding eyes, who led us down a (terrifying) corridor of hanging rags, to meet a raving, hunched figure who wanted to tell our fortunes.
The attention to detail in the costumes and construction of characters was breathtaking; we really felt for, and feared these people. The actors were truly skilled: we were never crowded by too many people, they were always aware of which audience members were free to be approached and drawn into their own personal hell.
All of this effort was to promote and raise funds for DOLLS, a short film currently being made by a Brighton-based production team with global ambitions. If the performances we witnessed at this event are a precursor of what’s to come, then DOLLS will be a beautiful, immersive and unforgettable piece of cinema.
Rock Inn, Saturday 24th March 2012
Words by Thirza Tooes
Photos by Emma Bailey
More info about the film can be found here
