FROZEN Rose Theatre Studio Until Saturday

From the archive, first published Thursday 23rd Feb 2006.

FROZEN promised to take the audience on an emotional journey and it certainly delivered.

In Briony Lavery's play, presented by The Nonentities, housewife, Nancy Shirley (Julie Innes), sends her 10-year-old daughter, Rhona, to visit her grandma's house but she never arrives.

Twenty years later, following his arrest for the unsuccessful abduction of a young girl, Ralph Wantage (Chris Clarke) admits to abduction and murder of seven other children - including Rhona.

Dr Agnetha Gottmundsdottir (Elizabeth Batstone) is investigating Ralph's psyche to verify her theories in her thesis "Serial Killing - A Forgivable Act?" while battling her own demons.

Innes's performance as the distraught mother was so moving that I started to feel her character's pain as she tried to come to terms with what had happened.

Clarke portrayed troubled Ralph very well and I did not want to be sitting as close to him as I was, as he began to scare me.

Batstone also gave a strong performance as the American academic who slowly began to understand Ralph a bit better.

The Studio's intimate setting was perfect for this powerful and thought-provoking production. I definitely recommend it. HL

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