The Sixth Doctor and Evelyn discover gruesome secrets beneath a gangster casino in London’s docklands.
1 Comment
Styre
on May 7, 2016 at 10:28 PM
PROJECT: TWILIGHT
This is the sort of experimentation with the format that I love. Welcoming new authors Cavan Scott and Mark Wright to the fold, Big Finish expected a vampire story — but the fans could never have expected what they received: a gruesome, violent tale of suffering that nevertheless retains that unique quality that marks all quality Doctor Who.
Of course, the violence is the number one talking point of this audio. Many people will write off a Doctor Who release, be it on audio or in print, because of an excess of violence, arguing that this “isn’t real Doctor Who” or similar. Granted, if violence isn’t your thing, that’s your decision, but it’s plays like Project: Twilight that demonstrate that there’s a place for violence in Who. Yes, the violence is gruesome, and at times it borders on the gratuitous, but characters are seen to suffer correspondingly and the Doctor is never seen to revel in the destruction. Perhaps more offensive than the Doctor killing Shockeye in The Two Doctors was his joke immediately afterward; Scott and Wright include no such material here.
Secondly, Project: Twilight involves the return (in a sense) of old monsters: vampires. Whereas a play like Bloodtide brought back the Silurians with very little inventiveness, preferring instead to reuse their old tropes, Project: Twilight offers a new type of vampire: that which has been converted by virus from a human subject. It’s curious, then, that the Doctor is driven by Gallifreyan oath to stop them, as I’m not sure it’s stated in the play that these vampires are derived from their ancient counterparts, but his anguish over his own ignorance is painful to hear. I’m a fan of vampire stories in general, and Doctor Who stories involving the Gallifreyan mythos intrigue me, so I admit a bias towards this sort of material, but for once it’s done in a fresh manner that stimulates interest past that which already exists.
As usual, Colin Baker’s performance is first-rate. Though some question his character’s ignorance, I didn’t hear a great deal of evidence within the play from which he was supposed to deduce the presence of vampires — I believe this outcry came from public knowledge of the identity of the antagonists. Baker’s anguished scenes are some of the best he’s done to this point in the range; his worry for Evelyn, particularly at the conclusion of episode three, is heartbreaking.
Speaking of Evelyn, this is the finest outing yet for Maggie Stables, whose character is given some actual depth of feeling for the first time in a long time. We see Evelyn trying to adopt her usual blasé attitude to her surroundings, but the gruesome violence finally proves too much and she is forced to step aside. She quickly forms a bond with Cassie, a bond which is painfully threatened as the play’s events continue, and she too is anguished over these events. Of course, this will be revisited in Project: Lazarus and later plays, but to this point it is good to hear weaknesses in her character.
The supporting cast is quite good, Holly De Jong in particular drifting back and forth over the line between class and animalism with ease. I admit ignorance of the UK gangster stereotypes, but Rob Dixon’s performance seemed very convincing to me. Unfortunately, Rosie Cavaliero does less well as Cassie, as she spends the latter half of the play screaming a lot and emoting way, way too much. But the star of the show is unquestionably Stephen Chance, whose vocal performance as Nimrod is one of the most memorable in BF history. Nimrod is delightfully amoral, and Chance’s performance is note-perfect: his delivery of “He doesn’t seem to have one. I wonder where it went” stands out for me above all.
On the production front, this is, as previously mentioned, a gruesome story, and I can only imagine the fun Gareth Jenkins had trying to replicate the sound of a vampire being impaled upon a crossbow bolt before subsequently exploding. I have no idea what this is supposed to sound like, but I was convinced. Jim Mortimore and Jane Elphinston compose their first BF score, and it’s of Russell Stone quality — one of the best to this point in the range. Gary Russell turns in his usual excellent job as director, drawing out great performances and keeping the running time just over ninety minutes.
Overall, this is another victory for Big Finish. The enthusiasm of new writers shines through the material, and you can detect a sense of glee behind all the darkness. There are a few acting deficiencies, and the plot might be thin in places, but the freshness more than makes up for this. This is Doctor Who treading new ground and treading it well.
PROJECT: TWILIGHT
This is the sort of experimentation with the format that I love. Welcoming new authors Cavan Scott and Mark Wright to the fold, Big Finish expected a vampire story — but the fans could never have expected what they received: a gruesome, violent tale of suffering that nevertheless retains that unique quality that marks all quality Doctor Who.
Of course, the violence is the number one talking point of this audio. Many people will write off a Doctor Who release, be it on audio or in print, because of an excess of violence, arguing that this “isn’t real Doctor Who” or similar. Granted, if violence isn’t your thing, that’s your decision, but it’s plays like Project: Twilight that demonstrate that there’s a place for violence in Who. Yes, the violence is gruesome, and at times it borders on the gratuitous, but characters are seen to suffer correspondingly and the Doctor is never seen to revel in the destruction. Perhaps more offensive than the Doctor killing Shockeye in The Two Doctors was his joke immediately afterward; Scott and Wright include no such material here.
Secondly, Project: Twilight involves the return (in a sense) of old monsters: vampires. Whereas a play like Bloodtide brought back the Silurians with very little inventiveness, preferring instead to reuse their old tropes, Project: Twilight offers a new type of vampire: that which has been converted by virus from a human subject. It’s curious, then, that the Doctor is driven by Gallifreyan oath to stop them, as I’m not sure it’s stated in the play that these vampires are derived from their ancient counterparts, but his anguish over his own ignorance is painful to hear. I’m a fan of vampire stories in general, and Doctor Who stories involving the Gallifreyan mythos intrigue me, so I admit a bias towards this sort of material, but for once it’s done in a fresh manner that stimulates interest past that which already exists.
As usual, Colin Baker’s performance is first-rate. Though some question his character’s ignorance, I didn’t hear a great deal of evidence within the play from which he was supposed to deduce the presence of vampires — I believe this outcry came from public knowledge of the identity of the antagonists. Baker’s anguished scenes are some of the best he’s done to this point in the range; his worry for Evelyn, particularly at the conclusion of episode three, is heartbreaking.
Speaking of Evelyn, this is the finest outing yet for Maggie Stables, whose character is given some actual depth of feeling for the first time in a long time. We see Evelyn trying to adopt her usual blasé attitude to her surroundings, but the gruesome violence finally proves too much and she is forced to step aside. She quickly forms a bond with Cassie, a bond which is painfully threatened as the play’s events continue, and she too is anguished over these events. Of course, this will be revisited in Project: Lazarus and later plays, but to this point it is good to hear weaknesses in her character.
The supporting cast is quite good, Holly De Jong in particular drifting back and forth over the line between class and animalism with ease. I admit ignorance of the UK gangster stereotypes, but Rob Dixon’s performance seemed very convincing to me. Unfortunately, Rosie Cavaliero does less well as Cassie, as she spends the latter half of the play screaming a lot and emoting way, way too much. But the star of the show is unquestionably Stephen Chance, whose vocal performance as Nimrod is one of the most memorable in BF history. Nimrod is delightfully amoral, and Chance’s performance is note-perfect: his delivery of “He doesn’t seem to have one. I wonder where it went” stands out for me above all.
On the production front, this is, as previously mentioned, a gruesome story, and I can only imagine the fun Gareth Jenkins had trying to replicate the sound of a vampire being impaled upon a crossbow bolt before subsequently exploding. I have no idea what this is supposed to sound like, but I was convinced. Jim Mortimore and Jane Elphinston compose their first BF score, and it’s of Russell Stone quality — one of the best to this point in the range. Gary Russell turns in his usual excellent job as director, drawing out great performances and keeping the running time just over ninety minutes.
Overall, this is another victory for Big Finish. The enthusiasm of new writers shines through the material, and you can detect a sense of glee behind all the darkness. There are a few acting deficiencies, and the plot might be thin in places, but the freshness more than makes up for this. This is Doctor Who treading new ground and treading it well.
Highly recommended.
8/10