4 STAR - HOT SHOW PICK OF THE FRINGE
" both a heart-wrenching exploration of old age, dementia and a care system that only cares when it’s being paid to do so, and a horror play with the kind of slow-build menace that leaves you quivering in your seat...When Robert, a bumbling “electrician” with no training, comes to fix the TV, Clifford’s reality becomes a nightmare as the past comes to haunt him through his hallucinations. John Garfield Roberts, who plays the wire-wielding buffoon, flits from jovial to terrifying with alarming ease, as the play makes us appreciate Clifford’s condition by forcing us to experience it directly." - Sally Stott
" both a heart-wrenching exploration of old age, dementia and a care system that only cares when it’s being paid to do so, and a horror play with the kind of slow-build menace that leaves you quivering in your seat...When Robert, a bumbling “electrician” with no training, comes to fix the TV, Clifford’s reality becomes a nightmare as the past comes to haunt him through his hallucinations. John Garfield Roberts, who plays the wire-wielding buffoon, flits from jovial to terrifying with alarming ease, as the play makes us appreciate Clifford’s condition by forcing us to experience it directly." - Sally Stott
"As Ye Sow is an example of a great ghost story. It’s not horror in the popular gory and blood-soaked way; this play is intensely creepy. It doesn’t go for the sudden scares, the script provides real moments of tension, and some of the set pieces add to the terror is an extremely clever way...special mention must go to John Garfield-Roberts, who is very unsettling in the role of Robert, the electrician."
"John Garfield-Roberts is also very frightening as the electrician, switching with ease between an amiable persona one minute, to a terrifying figment of Clifford’s own mind the next. "
"Ultimately there are strong performances from everyone involved. Combined with the clever use of lighting and sound they build the tension, creating a world where darkness lurks beneath a veneer of civility."
"John Garfield-Roberts is both terrifying and lovable as her questionable boyfriend dragged in to do work for the home and as a catalyst in getting to the horror of Clifford's past."
"As Ye Sow is a great little play, packed with brilliant performances from start to finish...
It is sinister and scary, especially during the second half when we are not sure what is real and what is not. And the very end…well, I won’t ruin that for you...
If you want a nice little lunchtime scare to wake you up for the afternoon, then I recommend this surprising little gem."
"some disturbing notions through the presence of John Garfield-Roberts’ character of the electrician, who interrogates Clifford or appears suddenly, wielding menacing power tools."
"Satisfying shocks in this tight drama, which explores the fragility of the human mind against a backdrop of family secrets and lies...The ghosts of MR James and Nigel Kneale haunt this new play in the best way – great structure, solid and believable characters with an extremely satisfying final act...If you want to enjoy a good scare, this is one to watch"
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