When promotional material suggests that you should stay away if of a nervous disposition or that there is an age limit, the attraction of something quite so scary becomes even greater.
There is nothing to disappoint with this Bath premiere of Ghost Stories; it is a great example of good storytelling with an excellent cast of Joshua Higgot (Prof. Goodman), Gus Gordon (Simon Rifkind), Paul Hawkyard (Tony Matthews) and Richard Sutton (Mike Priddle).
There are moments of true shock in this neatly handled metadrama.
We meet Prof. Goodman who is here to lecture us about Ghosts: do we believe or not? The subsequent 90 minutes takes us through a series of events and first-hand experiences. No spoilers here. But definitely some fine moments of theatre.
What makes this particularly effective is the atmospheric soundscape, the excellent lighting and extremes of either sensory overload or deprivation.
The clever nightmarish design by Jon Bauser allows a freedom of settings within the piece and the illusions are both effective and genuinely surprising.
It may take the more cynical a little longer to become immersed in the story, however it is well worth the watch.
Theatre Royal Bath could not have chosen a greater antithesis to panto. I am certain these ghost routines will not be seen again for some time.
Grab a ticket if you fancy a challenge and some excellent theatre, there are laughs too.
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Reviewer: Petra Schofield
Ghost Stories by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman is showing at the Theatre Royal in Bath until Saturday 18th January 2020.
For more information and tickets, visit the Theatre Royal website.
