Ghost Stories at the Peacock Theatre | Spoiler-free verdict

Ghost Stories | Peacock Theatre until 8th November

Spoilers Redacted!

As i descended down into the Peacock Theatre my heart full of trepidation and I made sure my bladder was empty! There are dire warnings about the show beforehand, including not attending if you are of a nervous disposition, have a heart problem or are pregnant! I must confess I am a complete wuss when it comes to such things so i was expecting the worst!

My tickets were accompanied by this note from my tickets were accompanied by this note from Andy Nyman:

It has meant so much to us that critics the world over have kept the plot & secrets of our show when writing about it. We appreciate it makes life a little trickier for you by not divulging plot, but because of your help ‘Ghost Stories’ remains a rare thing – a modern experience you have to see ‘spoiler-free’.

So, this is going to make my talking about the play a little difficult and i fear that the “spirits” may redact some parts of this review!

The show starts with Professor Goodman a parapsychologist/sceptic hybrid who lectures us about the paranormal, mocking ghost-hunters and doing all the proper eye-rolls at superstition.

We then meet three people with creepy tales: a night-watchman who works in a spooky building that once sheltered people during WWII; a young driver who delivers one of the more visceral stories involving a car crash; and a businessman about to become a father (Mike Priddle) whose fear is perhaps more domestic but no less gob-smacking when turned inside-out.

([The Upcoming][1])

Each story builds well: the set design is excellent (Jon Bausor), lighting (James Farncombe) and sound (Nick Manning) conspire to make darkness feel alive. Jump-scares are frequent, although at the performance I attended there was a large group of performing arts students who were screaming almost ahead of the scares which diffused things.

Now the big twist — the part they ask critics not to reveal. Brace yourself: Professor Goodman isn’t merely the observer. As the play progresses, the three ghost stories bleed into his own story. It emerges that he is deeply implicated in the hauntings he’s investigating — that his life, guilt, grief, maybe denial are the soil in which the ghosts grew. By the end, we discover that he is not only the teller of tales but (if I dare say) a part of the spectral archive he’s been studying.

Performance-wise: Jonathan Guy Lewis as Goodman is excellent — authoritative, uneasy, funny when he needs to be, and then deeply sad. David Cardy (Tony), Clive Mantle (Mike) perform beautifully; the driver story (though the actor was an understudy when I saw it) still hits hard. There are moments of comic relief too designed to relieve the tension.

It does rely on jump scares as most horror movies do, with the lights going down and a sound scape effectively designed to unnerve, although there are a few longueurs where you are waiting for something to happen.

Ultimately it wasn’t as scary as I had feared, there was only one occasion where I felt a chill down my spine, but is a gripping fun evening nonetheless.

Ghost Stories* is one of those plays that thrives on secrecy, suspense, and that delicious moment when you realise you’ve been watching more than you thought. Fans of Inside No 9 will enjoy this!

Ghost Stories

Peacock Theatre | Booking until 8^th November

A tightly staged fright night built on secrecy and jump scares. Slick design and sound keep the nerves jangling throughout.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

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