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The German Underground Hospital is to host live theatre for the first time since it was refurbished over the summer.
The atmospheric tunnel complex has been chosen as the venue for Music Theatre Guernsey’s production of Let The Right One In – the bestselling Swedish novel adapted for the National Theatre by Jack Thorne, the writer of the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the recently acclaimed Channel 4 film Help.
This will be the third time MTG’s actors and crew have ventured into the island’s German military installations, having presented sell-out productions of Frankenstein in the same venue in 2020 and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest at the Batterie Mirus in June.
Director Alison Castle said audiences will have the best of both worlds with this production.
“We had tremendously positive feedback from audiences about seeing live theatre in the tunnels last year and now we’re able to present another brilliantly written drama there, but with a lot less damp and a bit more comfort,” she said.
German Underground Hospital Site Director Steve Powell said his team is delighted to have live theatre returning to the tunnels.
“This unique setting offers a truly atmospheric space which is perfect for this type of event,” he said.
“The recent refurbishment has brought a fresh, modern look to parts of the tunnel complex with better lighting, lots of new and relevant exhibits, new interpretation boards and fascinating exhibitions to look at.”
Originally a 2004 novel by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist, the story has been made into a Swedish-language film (in 2008), an English-language film called Let Me In (in 2010) and now a stage play by BAFTA Award-winning UK writer Jack Thorne.
The story centres on a bullied schoolboy called Oskar, who struggles to navigate a childhood provided by an alcohol-dependent mother, a largely disinterested and estranged father and a school system that offers little help.
Everything changes for Oskar when he meets the strange and alluring Eli, who offers companionship, adventure and a way to fight back. But Eli’s arrival presents more questions than answers – questions of origin and intent, of age and gender, of love and violence.
As Oskar becomes increasingly dependent on Eli, so Eli struggles to manage an ever-more volatile relationship with the mysterious Hakan, whose gruesome activities draw the attention of the police.
“Oskar is a vulnerable child,’ says Jack Ingouille, who plays the troubled character. "It feels like Oskar is a puppet and everyone else is pulling the strings: his parents, his bullies, even Eli. He’s a mouse in a maze and there’s only one way out."
With very strong language, scenes of bullying and frequent, non-sexual violence, the production is not recommended for younger audiences.
Tickets are priced at £15 for nightly performances from Wednesday 13 October to Saturday 16 October and from Wednesday 20 October to Saturday 23 October. A preview show on Tuesday 12 October is priced at £10. All shows begin at 19.30.
Book online at www.mtgsy.gg/book or call 0333 666 33 66.
Pictured top: Chantelle Robilliard and Jack Ingrouille in rehearsal for Let The Right One In.
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