The Theatre Royal seems a very suitable venue for Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman’s Ghost Stories. Home to several ghosts of its own, including the famous ‘Grey Lady’, a phantom doorman and a ‘Thing’ composed of several screaming faces accompanied by cold chills and whispering voices, a gentler apparition here is said to take the form of a butterfly.
Ghosts continue to guarantee good box office. The Woman in Black and the wonderful stories of medievalist scholar M R James expertly rendered by actor Robert Lloyd Parry continue to pull the punters in. In my experience of these, it was often what was suggested, not actually seen, that held the greater terror.
So why are we happy to part with good money to sit in the dark and be terrified? This is a theme that our ‘host’ for the night, Joshua Higgott as parapsychologist Professor Goodman explores with us as we settle uneasily into our seats, his easy manner a precursor to three livid tales of percipients – those who have experienced unexplained contact with spirits. But while Goodman amuses us with extreme examples of superstitious myth, as time goes on, our suspicion that all is not perfectly well with him increases.
Tony Matthews as night watchman Paul Hawkyard, Gus Gordon as the teenager Simon Rifkind and Richard Sutton as expectant dad Mike Priddle all have a tale to tell, greatly assisted by Jon Bausor’s fast-moving scenery changes and rotational design, James Francombe’s very atmospheric lighting and Nick Manning’s occasionally juddering and searing sound effects. Scott Penrose’s special effects also help our willing suspension of disbelief.
Stapled to the front of my programme was a polite request from the authors not to reveal the plot. Fair enough. The play has thrived for ten years without the passage of time diminishing its popularity, or a clumsy reviewer giving it all away. I don’t wish to be the first! This is the production’s first UK tour after successful runs at the Lyric, the Liverpool Playhouse, the Ambassadors, the Arts Theatre and the Duke of York’s Theatres in London as well as tours in Canada, Australia, Russia, China and Peru. Critics have respected the play’s secrets thus far. How’s that for filling a word count with minimal synopsis?
A surprising number of people either believe in ghosts, or want to. Is it a comfort or discomfort to think of life beyond the grave? Is it just the thrill of the ‘other’. Dyson and Nyman have tapped into our collective curiosity with their 80-minute non-stop ghost train ride. Buckle up and expect bumps and screams along the way. And watch out for a tricky twist in the rails before the buffers. Try and jump into a front seat to get the maximum effect! ★★★☆☆ Simon Bishop 15th January 2020
