LET THE RIGHT ONE IN Royal Court Theatre

John Ajvide Lindqvist’s romantic horror novel has already been made into two films, one in his native Sweden, the other in Hollywood. Now it has been turned into a play by Jack Thorne for The National Theatre of Scotland and is well directed by John Tiffany with choreographed movement by Steven Hoggett. A teenage boy falls in love with a girl who turns out to be a vampire; which is advantageous since he is having serious problems with sadistic bullies in and out of school. The bullying is far more horrific than any of the blood-hungry moments. Martin Quinn, making his stage debut, is totally convincing as the boy and Rebecca Benson has exactly the right sort of weird, wispy, ethereal voice for the vampire. The Royal Court, knowing which audience it has to attract, is astutely offering 13-19 year olds seats for £10. Adults, however, may prefer to see the cult Swedish film, which is available on DVD, and better value.