The Husband Stitch and Twisted Violet

Anna Sokolova

7 days ago

2 min read

Double bill presented by Flight Path Theatre @flightpaththeatre

4-7 November 2026

“The Husband Stitch” @virginiaplaintheatre

“Twisted Violet” @jetpack_theatre

Photos Patrick Phillips

Review

I do not know the backstory of programming these two shows together. The stories differ vastly, but they do evoke a similar sense of a slightly surreal world, outside of the ordinary. I cannot recall starting a review by talking about stage and lighting design, but - here we are. Paris Bell and Jasmin Borsovszky have been engaged for both productions, and perhaps that constellates them. Black and red of “The Husband Stitch” and magic autumn (and Halloween too, for those from far, far over the equator, North) shades of the “Twisted violet”, emblazoned with sky blue, crispy white, warm beaming golden yellow - would be a color of sunsets, if those could be so bright, embodied into dense ink darkness, encapsulating the space.

“The Husband Stitch”

Deeply sensual feminine story, where desire, love, control and pain are merged with Gothic horror stories where women are central figures.

A voice of one woman joining a choir of many.

With seven women in black on stage sitting on simple chairs, just now and again swapping places, slowly working in between, forming pairs and wandering solo, all connected by the net made of a blood-red cord (an aesthetically ecstatic design), the steady flow of words enchants and terrifies at the same time. They ensemble together flawlessly, their words woven bewitchingly; they indeed speak as a solo woman and all of us at the same time.

It is a perfect addition for Halloween time. And - Google the meaning of the name phrase. Horrific.

“Twisted violet”

An enchanted dark fairytale set somewhere in the woods, where tree spirits and magical creatures meet humans on a quest.

Where sweet-looking beings are there to drink memories, but creepy-looking fairies come to help. Riordan Berry and Emilia Higgs are dominating the game with their confident characters of the spellbound forest. Ant Sandler and Mary-Jade Owusu-Ansah are charming as brother and sister, but at times a bit soft-spoken, so the words are too muffled to be distinguished easily.

It is a feast for the senses with blue and deep, flooding warm yellow lights, autumn-coloured costumes and the tree. It is not always easy to follow the story, but fun to pick pieces and make your own puzzle with a feeling of light reminiscent of dark stories by Ray Bradbury.