The Skriker, Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

It is Maxine Peake as you have never seen her before.

Deranged, gaunt, and manic in her title role as The Skriker, the character is a world away from any of her previous roles.

A new adaptation of Caryl Churchill's 1994 play commissioned for this year's Manchester International Festival, The Skriker is a stunning visual experience which will last long in the memory.

The Royal Exchange is transformed into The Skriker's otherworldly lair, a dimly lit, dark and disturbing nightmareish world full of similarly strange creatures.

The play tells the story of The Skriker, an ancient fairy and shape-shifter who is hundreds of years old and can transform into a variety of people and objects, speaking a strange language of broken and fragmented English.

Along the way two friends and young mothers, Josie (Laura Elsworthy) and Lily (Juma Sharkah), are lured into The Skriker's world.

The Skriker, an almost demonic yet at the same time isolated character, moves from appearing as a homeless person, a child to an old woman, all in bid to torment and taunt the two emotionally damaged women.

We are Introduced into The Skriker's sinister world with an unsettling, disorientating 20 minute opening monologue, which sets the tone for the play.

At times it is difficult to follow what is happening, but this adaptation is more of an immersive and hypnotic experience than most plays.

For example, theatre-goers sat at stage level may get more than they bargain for — as the usual tiered seating has been removed and punters are part of the play itself.

They are directed to sets of chairs and tables on the stage floor which are used as the stage, with actors performing just inches away.

This experience is completed by the entrancing music provided by Nico Muhly and Antony, lead singer of Antony and the Johnsons, in addition to the mesmerising stage design.

The play thrives on visual spectacle, and never more so is this the case than during the entrancing feast scene, when The Skriker and its other underworld creatures feast on flesh, and when Maxine Peake's latest incarnation as an Elizabeth I type character appears to oversee proceedings.

The play, originally devised by Churchill during the tumultuous years of the 1980s, explores themes of possession, insanity and broken society, underneath its spectacular multi-sensory experience.

It is an ambitious and challenging piece of work, led by director Sarah Frankcom and Bolton born Maxine, who is also a creative associate at the theatre, which is not an easy watch but explores the limits of artistry in the theatre setting.

Maxine's portrayal of The Skriker as a terrifying and haunting presence, yet strangely human and alluring to the audience showcases the power of her theatrical abilities.

  • The Skriker runs until August 1.