Lady Eleanor Holles School: A Monster Calls - A Visually Striking and Thoughtful Interpretation
As an NSTA representative, attending Lady Eleanor Holles School’s production of A Monster Calls on Thursday 4th December 2025 was an engaging and imaginative experience. The creative team approached this challenging text with ambition and clarity, offering an interpretation that demonstrated both artistic risk and strong collaborative spirit.
A Monster Calls is an adaptation of Patrick Ness’s bestselling novel of the same name, devised for the stage by Sally Cookson and Adam Peck. It was originally staged by The Old Vic in Bristol and London in 2018, winning the 2019 Olivier award for Best Entertainment and Family. It follows Conor, a young boy who begins receiving visits from a mysterious monster as his mother’s illness worsens. The story is celebrated for its moving exploration of love, grief, and bravery.
The traverse staging at Lady Eleanor Holles - designed and built in house - was an intelligent choice that immediately brought the audience closer to the emotional core of the piece. With performers positioned within the seating banks, moments of the action felt immediate and unavoidable, creating a shared sense of intensity that echoed Conor’s inner turmoil. The minimalistic staging allowed the yew tree structure to emerge as the dominant visual feature. Its ability to shift shape, including the moment it split into two, kept the stage visually dynamic and reflected the instability of Conor’s world.
The monster ensemble was one of the production’s greatest strengths. Their frantic, jerky physicality, underscored by heavy dubstep, created a palpable sense of menace whenever they appeared. Their green, layered, flowing costumes added to the elemental quality of their presence. The ensemble’s constant movement between scenes sustained an atmosphere of tension, making Conor’s unease something the audience could feel rather than simply observe.
The nightmare sequences were delivered with striking sensory impact. The use of multi-pitch distorted microphone effects produced genuinely unsettling vocal textures. Strobe lighting and the repeated projection of a fast-moving clock provided a disorientating visual landscape that mirrored Conor’s fragmented emotional state. These choices, while bold, were used with precision and conveyed the chaos of his nightmares effectively.
The retelling of the prince and queen story was a particularly successful moment. The
ensemble’s delivery, supported by subtle manipulation of the yew tree set, created a morally ambiguous fairy-tale atmosphere that held the audience’s attention. It felt intentionally uncomfortable, almost like a bedtime story with teeth, and served the thematic undercurrents of the play well.
Across the cast, several performances stood out. Ella, as Grandma, offered an emotionally grounded portrayal with a clear sense of authority. Her warmth early in the production contrasted sharply with her coldness after the clock-smashing incident. This shift was handled with nuance, making her character’s emotional journey believable and compelling.
Lucy, as Mum, gave a sensitive and thoughtful performance. Her controlled use of tone, pacing and physicality lent authenticity to her scenes, especially those exploring her illness. Her interactions with Conor were tender and understated, which made the more emotional moments resonate more deeply.
At the centre of it all was Alexa as Conor. Rarely leaving the stage, she carried the emotional weight of the narrative with maturity well beyond her years. Her portrayal moved seamlessly from fear, to vulnerability, to moments of explosive anger. She held the audience’s complete attention throughout. This was a role that demanded stamina, emotional intelligence, and technical skill, and Alexa delivered it faultlessly.
The direction across the production showed imagination and thematic sensitivity. The collapse of the yew tree to create a sinister nightmare environment was a particularly striking visual choice. The physical theatre sequence in which Mum was lowered into the abyss of the afterlife was handled with emotional weight and created one of the production’s most memorable images.
This production of A Monster Calls was an ambitious and atmospheric piece of theatre. With inventive staging, strong design elements, and several thoughtful performances, the production captured the emotional and psychological intensity of Patrick Ness’ story. It was clear that the cast and creative team approached the material with care and purpose, resulting in a production that was both resonant and artistically distinctive.
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