Inside No. 9: Stage Fright – A Theatrical Game of Twists and Turns

Inside No. 9: Stage Fright

Wyndham’s Theatre, London | Until Sat 5th April

Inside No. 9 is a very successful anthology TV series, so you can dip in and out, and each episode is a self-contained story linked to the number nine, which can be a house number, a rowboat, or even a symphony.

Written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, these are warped, twisted tales of the unexpected. Some are very, very funny; some are very sad. Some are poignant. All of them have a twist, and both writers have a penchant for the macabre.

We are warned as we enter that “what happens inside No. 9 stays inside No. 9,” so I must be careful what I say as I don’t want to spoil it. The series ended fittingly after nine seasons, and this is a stage farewell. This is clearly aimed at fans of the series, with lots of Easter eggs and callbacks. However, I believe if you haven’t seen the series, you will still have a great time.

It starts out with the funniest warning about eating and using a mobile phone in the theatre I have ever seen. It is clever, warped, and twisted and exactly what we expect from them.

It is very meta as we shift between them chatting to us as if on the stage at Wyndham’s, discussing the theatre’s hauntings, before segueing into an episode from Series 4 called Bernie Clifton’s Dressing Room.

However, they haven’t simply stitched together previous episodes and thrown them on stage; Fawlty Towers, I’m looking at you! This is very much a theatrical piece rooted in theatre lore, superstitions, and history, which all feed into the twists and turns of what we see.

We get references to other episodes, and we get a guest star in another sketch. On opening night, it was Matthew Kelly; when I attended, it was Les Dennis. It was so obvious that they were all trying not to laugh with their ad libs.

There are gruesome deaths, shifting realities, and countless meta-theatrical nods, including references to Jamie Lloyd, video cameras, and even true stories about Hamlet at the National Theatre.

As well as being talented writers, they are both excellent actors, effortlessly shifting from comedy to pathos, bringing the best out of the material. They are supported by an excellent company of actors, including Anna Francolini, who has an uncanny resemblance to Patti LuPone!

As with the TV show, there are so many clues, twists, and rug pulls that you think it’s over, and it’s not. You think you know what’s happening, and then it shifts again. It is very, very funny, and yes, a little bit scary.

It is wonderfully funny, scary, and ultimately moving and a perfect end to Inside No. 9. I want to see it again!

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[Feature Image Credit: Marc Brenner]

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