The Grim is an omen, a symbol of death, and one Harry Potter fans at least will be familiar with – so best hope you don’t see one.
For undertaker Shaun (Edmund Morris) and his assistant Robert (Louis Davison), death is their work: sprucing up corpses so they look their best for their funeral. It’s all routine, until it isn’t.
When the body of a brutal murderer lands in their care, suddenly lots of people are curious, including the press. Shaun and Robert just want to get to the pub.
However, nothing prepares them for what happens in the quiet of the mortuary; it’s something that makes that after-work pint feel very far away.
Pulling from its undertaker’s setting for its dark comedy, there is plenty of gallows humour in the banter between the experienced Shaun and newbie Robert.
The supernatural elements don’t quite land with the impact they should, and the atmospheric tension doesn’t really build.
But the thriller elements pick up the slack. Once Harry Carter’s Jack enters the equation, there is a shift in gear. Carter is menacing, bringing a palpable sense of threat.
Balancing humour with tension can be tricky to pull off, and here it mostly works with only an occasional jolt.
Morris and Davison anchor the piece, making you believe in their working relationship and their growing terror.
There is an interval which seems like an odd choice when the play itself is only an hour. It cuts off the momentum just as it is building.
The verdict
The Grim at the Southwark Playhouse is an enjoyable enough piece of theatre with strong performances and elements that lean genuinely into thriller territory. But it’s underwhelming supernatural elements mean it doesn’t quite fulfil its promise.
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half stars
The Grim, Southwark Playhouse
Written by Edmund Morris
Directed by Ben Woodhall
Cast: Harry Carter, Louis Davison and Edmund Morris
Running time: 1 hour 15 minutes with an interval
Booking until 6 December; for more details and to buy tickets, visit the Southwark Playhouse website.
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