REVIEW | Ghost Stories by Candlight, Shakespeare’s Globe

Katie Cherry (Sarah and Izzy) - credit Fourth Wall Photography

Written by Zoe

Disclaimer: We were gifted a ticket in return for an honest review. All opinions are our own.

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A HighTide Production in association with Shakespeare’s Globe, Theatre Royal Bury St.Edmunds & Harlow Playhouse.

Written by Kelly Jones, Shamser Sinha, and Nicola Werenowska

Director: Elayce Ismail

Ghost Stories by Candlelight concludes its run in the hauntingly intimate Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at The Globe Theatre.

The scene is perfectly set for a traditional ‘Ghost story’; the audience gathers in close, the stage is dimly lit, candles flicker and the haunting sound of a single violin begins to play. But it isn’t just ghosts and ghouls that are haunting the characters in HighTide’s mesmerising production.

Loren O’Dair is the violin-playing ‘peregrine’ that abstractly swoops and soars over East Anglia, weaving three ‘Ghost’ stories together, as she sings Georgia Shakleton’s eerie folk tune – The Curse of the Fen.

O’Dair sings about the curse that needs to be broken and uses her violin as an instrument, prop, and as part of the narrative. Pizzicato (plucking of the strings) is used by O’Dair which feels perfectly uneasy and gives a certain texture to the performance.

The three stories, written by Nicola Werenowska (The Beach Hut), Shamser Sinha (Sacrifice) and Kelly Jones (Run), are powerfully performed by Katie Cherry, Elizabeth Crarer and Loren O’Dair.

Crarer is simply superb. I, along with the rest of the theatre, was completely captivated by her monologue, The Beach Hut. Written by Nicola Werenowska, happy-go-lucky Mum from Lowestoft lives to tell the tale of a trip to the seaside with teenage daughter Lacy, which takes an unearthly turn. This has elements of a traditional ghost story; sky turns dark, gulls circle overhead, footprints in the sand, a feeling something isn’t right. But Werenowska layers this with the supernatural; a girl with no face, a hand reaching out of the sea. This piece will make you shudder (and will put you off heading to the East Anglian coast for a while). Crarer’s acting combined with Werenowska’s writing, makes this piece the epitome of story-telling.

Yet, it is Katie Cherry that we must speak about. Ghost Stories is her first professional debut, and what a debut it was. Her performance of Run was powerful, funny, and heartbreakingly relatable. Kelly Jones takes us to the rowdy streets of Romford and Beyonce-loving, 20-something Izzy is just trying to get home. But the odds seem to be stacked against her - slimy punters lurking, cancelled buses, no phone charge, strange sightings, awful smells and flickering lights. All the while her mother’s advice rings loud in her head; keys in hand, phone – check, don’t run, always make sure your phone is charged, don’t make yourself too insignificant. At the end of the performance,

Cherry/Izzy turns to the audience and powerfully says “Why does it always have to be on us!”. At this point a tear rolled down my face; partially because of Cherry’s moving performance, and partially because of the sad familiarity of the ordeal.

Shamser Sinha‘s Sacrifice was probably my least favourite of the three stories. However the acting, like the rest of the production, was sublime. Crarer and Cherry play a mother and daughter, who are in conflict with one another. Riddled with grief and guilt, the spiritually-obsessed mum hopes to get her son back if she can make a sacrifice to the earth. This piece is cleverly written and will have you gasping at the twist.

The use of lighting plays a big part in this production. It is simple, yet poignant. Charlotte Henery (designer) and Andy Purves (lighting consultant) used merely candles, torches and lamps to illuminate the space. The mix of old and new lighting echoes a theme that meanders throughout this play – traditional meets modern.

Henery and Purves use the lighting as if it’s an additional prop or character.

Harsh white light is the moon reflecting on the faces of the Mother and Daughter in Sacrifice, but it is also harassment from the punter in Run, as well as harsh lighting at the bus stop.

Lightbulbs behind coloured circles of glass portray the red Hunter's Moon which the peregrine flies in front of (shadow puppetry). Pocket torches are used to highlight the necklace in The Beach Hut and the candle chandeliers are lowered and raised to show a change of power in Sacrifice.

“It’s time to take a stance” ends the performance, leaving the audience to reflect on how we as Man have let the earth, and perhaps each other, down and how we can do better. Despite the powerful intention, this felt somewhat like an afterthought to a well-curated production.

The Beach Hut, Sacrifice and Run are three distinct stories, from three very different writers. It is the themes of fear, loss and the unknown that intertwine these tales together. O’Dair, Crarer and Cherry are agile as they flit between roles, movement, and controlling the lighting, yet they perfectly harmonise with one another.

Chilling, captivating & scattered with urgency, Elayce Ismail takes the traditional ghost story we all know and love, fuses it with the modern, and makes it relevant.

★ ★ ★ ★

At Shakespeare’s Globe until 25 November