The Veil

I expected so much more from The National Theatre’s The Veil.  Not only were we going to see the play on Halloween, but I had also watched the trailer and the play seemed like an mysterious and intriguing “scary” story.  Since we had already gone on the tour of The National Theatre, I was also excited about the venue itself.  Because we had gotten a sneak preview, I knew the layout of the theatre and was amazed at the fact that every seat in the house had a clear view of the enormous stage.  I couldn’t believe that there were no bad seats in the house. 

This was especially exciting, because I had seen some other plays (The Phantom of the Opera) that had less then impressive views.  This was by far the most excited I had been about seeing a play so far and I was more than let down.  The play was dry, boring and it seemed to go on forever without any significant change in plot or emotion.  I kept waiting for something exciting to happen or better yet, something scary!  Every time there was a big BOOM or a BANG I said to myself, “Okay. Here we go!” but then nothing happened.  I was frustrated and somewhat confused.  The play was advertised as a “ghost” story and I had barely even seen anything resembling that description.  The actors really didn’t connect well with each other so I was unable to have any connection with them or the story.  If someone were to ask me to summarize the plot of The Veil, I don’t think I could even do that.  The only thing that deserves credit is the venue of course and the set. 

The set, I have to say, was beautiful.  It was one of the most eye-catching and realistic sets I have seen.  The crew did an amazing job.  The house looked real and the lighting was spectacular.  I could tell exactly what time of day it was and light really looked like natural light.  I think it really says something when the audience is probably more intrigued with the set than they are by the play itself.  I guess our tour guide did say something about “old” people liking proscenium arch plays and I guess that is who mainly showed up to The Veil.  I can’t say that they were even impressed with the production.  If it almost put me to sleep I’m sure it did the same to them.  The Veil had so much potential, but instead it was a mere let down.