THE torrential rain, lashing and drenching everything visible, seemed very appropriate on the night that my husband and I drove to Much Marcle to see Fishhead, a Reaction Theatre Makers presentation.

I confess to not having felt massively inspired by the title but my curiosity was aroused by the idea of a giant Perspex fish tank being ever-present on the stage! How would that work?

From the minute I stepped into the atmospheric darkness of the theatre, where a spotlight cast a ghostly, eerie shadow on a solitary man sitting motionless in a tank, I became transfixed.

There was a palpable sense of discomfort amongst the audience as Trevor Fleming shared his grief and despair at losing his livelihood as an oyster fisherman. However, Michelle PogMore’s entrance, with a puppet that was throwing childlike questions like a life-line to the drowning man.. was, indeed, a head-spinning moment! Briefly, my spirits shared a sinking feeling akin to that of the fisherman; I’m really not a fan of ventriloquism. Well, there’s a first time for everything! Michelle somehow breathed life into the incredibly endearing puppet so that I forgot, yet didn’t forget, that it was just a doll. There was a tremendous warmth, a poignant humanity that Michelle Pogmore brilliantly brought to the role and left barely an emotion untouched.

I felt completely immersed in the world created so powerfully by the stunning writing of Tiffany Hosking and translated so beautifully by the cast. There was not a wasted word or movement. A special mention should go to the dancers from the University of Worcester because they brought such fluidity, literally, as waves and seals, and added a young and hopeful feel to the whole thought-provoking experience.

I cannot recommend a visit to this play more highly. It is a play that will stay with you long after the stage door closes. A superb production.

By Philippa Bateman