Building on its previous successes, Actually Acting brings another excellent production to this year’s Fringe for a sold-out short season at the Goodwood Theatre and Studios. The Dark Road’s young cast handles the confronting material of the show with absolute aplomb and their skills as evolving actors are impressive.

American youth theatre writer Laura Lundgren Smith’s script is set in Germany in 1946 and  begins with an angry crowd shouting abuse at a defiant Greta (Milly Grainger), calling her a monster, baby killer, and the Witch of Ravensbrück. Greta is led away and a journalist, Daimler (Marcus Murdoch), pleads with her to tell her story. Convinced by the apparition of her sister, Lise (Jasmyn Setchell), Greta tells her story to Daimler. She starts by relaying how the orphaned sisters lived in poverty and how she took a  job at the Ravensbrück women’s concentration camp to help provide much needed money and how the job provided her with a purpose. 

The longer Greta works as a guard at the camp the more she begins to repress her morality and the more she becomes engulfed in the evil of the camp by dehumanising the inmates. Lise becomes aware and concerned with the transformation of her sister. 

The Dark Road addresses a similar theme to other works that the passage to evil is not something that necessarily occurs with a giant leap but is done by taking a path a step at time. 

Co-directors Alicia Zorkovic and Brant Eustice coordinate the thirteen cast members cleverly as they uitlise the intimate space of The Studio. Having only limited movement of actors off stage helps with the management of the size of the cast in the limited space but also acts as a symbol for the silent witness of the evil that was occurring at this time as the cast member sat on the sides of the stage watching.   

Milly Grainger as Greta is outstanding, she expertly handles her many lines and inhabits her role skilfully for a young actor aided by her perfect costume and hairstyle. Similarly, Marcus Murdoch as Daimler and Jasmyn Setchell as Lise occupy their roles superbly, also assisted by their accurate look. Sebastian Higham as the Commandant has a sinister presence helped by his SS uniform and the other guards, Leah Brooks and Wrenn Markov are menacing. They are all well supported by the rest of the first-rate young cast, particularly Zazie Newall as the prisoner Marian who has a very dramatic moment. The costumes of the prisoners are a little problematic as the actual clothing and physical condition of prisoners in the later part of the war would have been in much worse condition than as portrayed.

Actually Acting and the marvellous cast of the Dark Road should be justly proud of this brilliant production which well deserves the success of another sell out season.