Ad disclosure: We were provided with press tickets for the purpose of this post.
It’s hard to review a play when it finishes with a plea to keep its secrets, but I will do my best…
Last night James & I went to the Alex to experience the UK tour of Ghost Stories, a 90 minute play that promises to have you trembling with fear in your seat.
To say I was apprehensive about going to see Ghost Stories is an understatement. I’m known in our family to be a total wuss when it comes to scary things. It all started with a childhood screening of Jurassic Park when I was eight, which had me climbing into someone’s lap. I even got freaked out by the weeping angels in the animated Lego version of Doctor Who in a video game! Needless to say, I was nervous to sit in a darkened theatre and have the living daylights scared out of me.
Ghost Stories is a pretty unique experience, staged as if you are attending a lecture by Professor Goodman – an expert in the field of paranormal activity, who is out to debunk and rationalise what people perceive to be supernatural. Goodman tells his audience about three interviews he had, each telling a different ghost story, and takes his listeners along the investigative journey with him.
A night-watchman, a teenage boy, and a businessman each tell their harrowing tale to Goodman – and the audience is taken along for the ride, which is as full of moments of nervous anticipation and terror as the best kind of rollercoaster.
Despite its small cast of four main characters and two understudies, Ghost Stories manages to keep the audience fully engaged throughout the 90-minute experience. Dan Tetsell delivers a fantastic performance as the sceptic know-it-all Professor Goodman, and the rest of the cast is equally impressive. I won’t give any more details about the characters for fear of spoilers, other than to say they portrayed the different personalities and their foibles very well indeed.
I was thoroughly impressed by the set and props used throughout Ghost Stories. The clever use of perspective and various visual tricks brought the stories to life on a relatively small stage. Simple yet effective props, such as a single torch light shone around the audience and stage, built suspense. These elements, combined with the lighting and sound effects, created an immersive atmosphere that kept the audience engaged throughout the show.
Throughout the show, the audience was kept on the edge of their seats, and at times, completely freaked out. As each story unfolded, the tension in the pitch-dark theatre grew, culminating in several moments that had me yelping and clutching my husband beside me. These were then followed by hysterical laughter. Incidentally, this is my response to facing my fear of heights on roller coasters – I cackle all the way around after getting more and more scared on the way up! Judging by the waves of nervous laughter that rolled around the theatre, I’m not the only one to react this way.
The scary moments were balanced out with humour, keeping the audience chuckling between the tension and fear-filled moments. This emotional balance helped to keep the experience enjoyable – lightening the mood just as it was needed.
Despite (or perhaps, because of?) the moments when my heart tried to leap from my chest, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience overall. The whole thing is clever, well-paced, and full of creepy theatrical flair. I highly recommend it to horror fans – it’s genuinely a unique and terrifying experience that you won’t want to miss.
My only quibble is that at times, it felt a bit too stereotypical and predictable. While this didn’t diminish the terrifying moments, I often knew what was coming next. However, the ending was wholly unexpected, and I’ll just leave it at that… I will say that I was glad to be safely seated in the circle, not near the front of the stalls!
Ghost Stories is on at The Alexandra until Saturday 24th May, before continuing the tour around the UK. Tickets are available from £15, and it is around 1 hour 30 mins with no interval.
Find out more & book tickets on the ATG website.
