The disturbed perspective of the sets, subtly shifting lighting and sounds scapes all conspire to tip the audience into a state of unease; glimpses of wide eyes focus, expectant, held breathes, titialted nerve jingling.
The Theatre Royal Brighton proves an exquisitely adapted gothic space for Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson's supernatural sensation Ghost Stories, with the building's Victorian grandeur adding tangible atmosphere to this already electrifying production. The venue becomes almost a character itself, its ornate details catching stage lighting in ways that amplify the play's shadowy thrills.
This is the UK Tour iteration of the West End show but is as spine-tingling and terrifying as the original. Without spoilers, the narrative follows Professor Goodman, an arch-sceptic investigating three apparent hauntings recounted by a night-watchman, a teenage boy, and a businessman awaiting his first child. What unfolds pushes Goodman—and tugs the audience—to the outer limits of rationality.
Of course, there's something inherently curious here: how scared can you really be when you've been explicitly asked to be scared? When every poster promises how frightening the experience will be? Yet here's where Ghost Stories demonstrates its theatrical cunning. Like the best ghost trains, this is ultimately a safe form of rising tension, but the production continues throwing out new ideas, refusing to rely on formula and keeping tension rising to the very last moment.
The jump scares are executed with marvelous precision, engaging all senses in a sophisticated exercise in tension rather than cheap thrills. The disturbed perspective of the sets, subtly shifting lighting and sounds scapes all conspire to tip the audience into a state of unease, startled glimpses of wide eyes focus, expectantly held breathes, titialted nerve jingling, it works together really well.
The production works off different thresholds of audience fear, mixing these into a delicious theatrical experience that had audience members jumping in their seats. My companion certainly wasn't immune, jumping several times while thoroughly enjoying this theatrical ghost train ride.
Running without interval, it's an enjoyable night out particularly suited to thrill seekers and those who appreciate a crepuscular vibe. With more gothic twists than the Monster Mash, you'll emerge into the safe, warm evening twilight of New Road chatting and grinning about the experience - the mark of horror done right.
Ghost Stories continues at Brighton Theatre Royal until Saturday.
