GHOST STORIES - Theatre Review

Photo by Jennifer Panting

I first heard of Ghost Stories back in 2011, whilst it was playing at the Duke Of York Theatre in London. Co-written by Jeramy Dyson and Andy Nyman, the show promises "extreme shock & tension"  as well as having an advised age rating of 15+. Naturally I was very intrigued. After nearly a three year break, the show re-opened in it's new home at the Arts theatre London. Last Friday, thanks to my fabulous sister, I finally got the chance to see the show for myself but did it live up to the hype?

"You haven't seen horror until you've seen it live!" is the new tagline. I deliberately did no research prior to the show, so I had literally no idea what to expect. Previous reviews we're overwhelmingly positive, with many describing the experience as truly terrifying. We arrived early, ready for the 20:00 show.

Photo by Jennifer Panting

The Arts theatre is a very small, slightly dated venue. Upon entering the small foyer, you are greeted with the ambience of dripping and other eerie noises as well as police tape covering the walls/doors. Around 19:30 we were let into the auditorium. The theming continued inside, with yet more tape and strange, random numbers scratched into the walls. The combination of dim lighting and creepy noises created a perfect atmosphere to build the suspense before the show begins. At 20:00 sharp, the show very abruptly began, triggering the first scare of the evening! To say anymore from this point, would ruin the clever story and surprises instore! 

Photo by Matthew Panting

The show runs for a straight 80 minutes, with no interval. This means there is never a chance to catch your breath and the tension never gets lost. I was fully engaged in the story throughout. One thing I was surprised by, was the amount of humour in the script. The actors did a fantastic job of having us laughing one minute, then sat in nervous anticipation the next. The set design, though simple, was very effective. A particular scene involving a moving car was done remarkably well. The lighting and sound engineers have to be praised. The show uses many subtle audio and lighting cues and the timings were spot on. Another nice addition was the use of scent to fully immerse the audience into the story.

 Did I find the show terrifying? To be honest no. I felt very tense during certain moments and had a few startle scares. As someone who normally loathes the overuse of "jump scares" in films, I actually found myself wanting a few more of them in the show. If your someone who hides behind the pillow during horror films, you would probably find it pretty damn scary but hardened horror fans like myself, might be left wanting a bit more.

So was it worth the wait? Absolutely! Despite not being as scared as I would have liked, I still had a blast. It's more than just a show, the very well themed theatre actually ties into the story to make it feel more like an experience. Acting was superb, as was the set design and score. The audience seemed to agree, with everyone buzzing upon leaving. If you fancy an entertaining, slightly different show to your usual West End affair, then this is for you!