Perth Theatre
Four stars
Life’s a scream for the young Governess at the centre of Henry James’ much adapted 1898 gothic novella, which lives again in Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s striking new stage version for Blackeyed Theatre, touring to Perth this week. As the Governess recounts to a strange and provocatively doubtful man, things took a strange turn the moment she was hired by an even stranger man to look after his niece and nephew, Flora and Miles, who have been holed up in a big old house since their parents died.
As the influence of others casts spectral shadows, hints of dark goings on behind closed doors have left young Miles with a surprisingly grown-up attitude to all who cross his path. And what fate befell the previous governess is anybody’s guess, the current one included. But will the men involved believe her fantastical story?
Nicky Allpress’s production is a suitably dark hearted affair, which ramps up Lloyd Malcolm’s reimagining of James’ story in several ways. At its most wilfully tricksy, there are jump scares aplenty on Matthew Cassar’s foreboding looking set, made even gloomier by Oliver McNally’s lights.
Taking an even darker turn, by putting the Governess centre stage and questioning her credibility, what has already been regarded in many quarters as an unreliable memoir is given greater gravitas by having the men close ranks in their denial of anything untoward having taken place. The result is something akin to an after hours tale for the post Me Too age.
As the Governess, Amy Tara leads with an initial lack of guile that turns into determination to be heard. With Toby Beynon and Kathleen McAuley Irvine as the children and Katy Slater as housekeeper Mrs Grose, plus Janita Mikkola as a couple of uninvited guests, it is left to Jim Fish to double up as a conspiracy of predatory men protecting each other. In the end, as the Governess continues to try and be heard in the face of denial, the truth belongs with her.
The Herald, November 6th 2026
Ends
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