The National Theatre of Scotland’s production of Let the Right One In, running at Berkeley Repertory Theatre through June 25, brings forth a thrilling vampire narrative where gore is merely a pit stop on the journey to deeper, more grueling themes.
Jack Thorne’s adapted script from John Ajvide Lindqvist’s 2004 novel (itself the source of two movie adaptations) is manifested convincingly by director John Tiffany, with associate director Steven Hoggett, offering a sharply skilled kinetic smorgasbord. Much like the creative team’s most recent project in the Bay Area, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the production finds rays of light in the narrative’s darkness.
Oskar (Diego Lucano) is a skinny, delicate child who doesn’t seem to fit anywhere. He navigates daily torture by a group of bullies, and every adult interaction yields a wasteland of disappointment. There’s his mom (Nicole Shalhoub), a woman who drinks at inopportune times while offering little warmth. His dad (Erik Hellman) lives away from home, only participating in Oskar’s drab life as needed. There’s also a teacher (Julius Thomas III), who ignores Oskar’s muted pleas for support.
Entering this scenario is Eli (Noah Lamanna), who strikes up a relationship of mutual desperation with Oskar. While Oskar is 12, and at some point will approach 13, Eli’s age is much more static — which seems to allow for greater insight into the more torturous aspects of pre-teen purgatory.
As bad as Oskar’s parental situation is, compared to Eli he’s practically being raised by Mike and Carol Brady. Although not explicitly stated, some specific type of abuse has been inflicted by Eli’s creepy father Hakan (Richard Topol). It doesn’t take much to see the yearning and devastation between Oskar and Eli in their sorrowful eyes; while Eli’s pair are gaunt and hollow, devoid of emotion, Oskar’s pupils speak of an undesirable solitude.
