Wicked Fridays
17 October 2026
Drayton Arms Theatre
3.0 out of 5.0 stars
Wicked Fridays recently had a short run at the Drayton Arms Theatre. The horror thriller written and directed by Tamara James-Dickson is an atmospheric two-hander set on a remote Caribbean island. Leilani has left the UK to find some peace and quiet on the island, she meets local man Ariel, but their connection quickly slips into something more intense, more dangerous.
The show is quite intense, with a lot of emotionally fragile moments that threaten to boil over any second. Starting somewhat slow to build atmosphere, before fully throwing itself into psychological horror territory. Both characters slowly unveil their true nature, slipping into a pull and push between obsession and intrigue.
The narrative itself feels a little muddled at this point in development, though full of potential. Scenes feel a little disconnected at times, and the interval in the short show, either act running around 20-25 mins, takes the audience out of the action. An unbroken presentation without interval would definitely help keep the tension up.
With some tweaking of the script to build tension more slowly, this show could definitely deepen its impact. Some story beats are revealed a little too early, while others seem a bit out of place. Overall, there’s a really good horror story to be built on the material here, with a bit more focus and narrative development, Wicked Fridays can absolutely become a strong show!
