Well, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary wasn’t very helpful. “The meaning of ‘authenticator’ is one that authenticates.” The technology company Lenovo was more authoritative, even if in their world, ‘authenticator apps’ are rather different to the historical authenticators in this play. Abi (Rakie Ayola), or Professor Adeyemi, as Marva (Cherrelle Skeete) calls her, tries to guide her less experienced colleague through the process of ‘authenticating’ a number of previously hidden diaries dating back to the eighteenth century. Discovered by Fenella Harford (an engaging Sylvestra Le Touzel), or Fen, as she invariably becomes known, who has inherited one of those huge family homes built centuries ago. Let’s just say there’s a reason why the National Trust gets repeatedly name-dropped when she starts thinking about what happens to the estate once she dies or is otherwise unable to maintain it.
But if all that happened was that a bunch of old diaries either turned out to be real or fake, that would hardly make for riveting theatre. Neither would a studious consideration of the academic rigour which Abi likes to pursue. Fen insists the academics stay on site to conduct their authenticating. The diaries, apparently, are very detailed, and therefore by default require a residential stay. In an old stately home, it comes as no surprise that there are things that go bump in the night. Billed as “a gripping psychological thriller”, it turned out to be, if the reactions of the press night audience were anything to go by, more chucklesome than creepy, which frankly suited me just fine. It’s nearly always far better for a sudden noise to be rationally explained away rather than melodramatically spooking someone. The former usually has me nodding in approval, the latter tends to result in eye rolling.
It’s rather unsatisfying, then, for theatregoers looking to be startled. That said, Jon Bausor’s set design is in keeping with the high standards National Theatre audiences are used to, with the mansion’s basement, or dungeon as Fen refers to it as, portrayed just as convincingly as every other room in the house. The ‘large study’ is smaller than the ‘small study’ on account of Fen’s late brother having an acquired sense of humour. Marva, it transpires, has a vested interest in the property, which stretches beyond merely sharing the same surname as Fen, adding another layer of intrigue to what becomes a somewhat surprisingly compelling narrative, not so much about the transatlantic slave trade, about which much is already known, but its effects on the characters living today.
Comic relief comes from unexpected quarters, with Fen acting on a discovery made by Abi, and running with it to a conclusion simultaneously logical and absurd. I’d love to say more about that, but it would be too much of a spoiler. The other two being academics, who seemingly can’t even have lunch without the prior approval of “The Dean” (who remains an off-stage character, perhaps literally and figuratively in an ivory tower somewhere), Fen is by default the most engaging person on stage, and if she struts around like she owns the place, that would be because she does. Her presumably large maintenance costs are met by hiring rooms and outdoor areas out to film and television companies recording period dramas. It’s all very convincing, and a decent, wholesome, satisfying experience.
Review by Chris Omaweng
This house is full of secrets
Soon after inheriting her family’s stately home, eccentric artist Fenella Harford discovers a stash of hidden diaries and enlists a young academic, Marva, to confirm their authenticity.
Joined by Marva’s brilliant but overlooked mentor, Abi, the three women come together to seek the truth, soon realising that secrets at the heart of Harford Hall were darker than they could have imagined.
Rakie Ayola – Abi
Sylvestra Le Touzel – Fen
Cherrelle Skeete – Marva
Writer – Winsome Pinnock
Director – Miranda Cromwell
Set Designer – Jon Bausor
Costume Designer – Kinnetia Isidore
Lighting Designer – Aideen Malone
Sound Designer – Tingying Dong
Composer – Benjamin Kwasi Burrell
Movement Director – Shelley Maxwell
Casting Director – Alastair Coomer CDG
Voice Coach – Hazel Holder
THE AUTHENTICATOR
National Theatre
26 March to 9 May 2026
