Ghost Stories UK Tour – Review

Ghost Stories UK Tour: Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

3rd March 2020

★★★

Watch if you dare…. Ghost Stories features just what the title says: Ghost Stories. Ready to thrill and scare the audience the show ultilises clever staging, lighting and sound effects to give audience members the shock of their lives.

Horror films have long been a firm favourite with audiences. People wanting to scare themselves, to feel that rush of adrenaline and ride the rollercoaster of emotion. With ghost stories long being told and devoured by believers and sceptics alike this production hopes to bring the world of horror to life.

As with any scary show, the anticipation of what may happen next draws the audience in from the first second of the show as the auditorium is plunged into darkness. Unfortunately, the action does start slowly however the actors: Joshua Higgot, Gus Gordon, Paul Hawkyard and Richard Sutton all do a brilliant job of storytelling, bringing each character to life and drawing the audience in. Coupled with a menacingly dark set by Jon Bausor, Ghost Stories certainly manages to capture the audiences attention – whether this is due to the audiences anticipation of what is to come or due to the stories they are watching unfold however is debatable. Special effects by Scott Penrose and spooky sound effects by Nick Manning all add to the experience. Yes, some of the effects are slightly obvious and are thrown in purely to shock the audience however they do just that. At times the production is truly immersive and there is no doubt that even the most hardcore horror fan will have jumped during the performance.

Atmospheric and spooky, Ghost Stories lives up to its name. Whilst it is slow to start and relies heavily on the audiences anticipation it does build to a very good climax and certainly makes the audience gasp and hide behind their hands several times during the show. Perhaps not as scary as the numerous warnings suggest, it definitely hits the spot for those wanting a thrill at the theatre.

Ghost Stories is playing at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury until the 7th March before continuing on its UK Tour. For information and tickets click here.