More…Ghost Stories, Sam Wanamaker Review
Sharan Phull and Becky Barry in More..Ghost Stories. Photo by Fourth Wall Photography
Written by Jasmine for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
There could not be a more perfect venue to host an evening of ghost stories than in the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Theatre. This two-hander production from High Tide brings four powerful ghost stories to life with little but the incredible performances of Becky Barry and Sharan Phull.
It is impossible not to get lost in each of the stories as they wind a web around you in a way that reminds you how powerfully ghost stories feed our imaginations. Each story was unique, both frightening and clever in how firmly grounded they were in our modern ghosts; losing touch with the life we’ve left behind in our hometowns, the fear of disease-spreading or isolation, that followed us all through COVID, the fear of what men we might trust could do to us, or of what will happen when our lovers fall out of love with us. Every story had a powerful foundation that ensured they packed a devastating gut-punch - each of the writers knows that the ghost stories only scare us because they are based on our real-life fears. There isn’t one that hasn’t left me with an image in my mind, I can still see what I imagined as they spoke so vividly.
It’s that effect that makes More..Ghost Stories so powerful, and High Tide clearly understand that - how fear can fix the images in place, and have them haunting you long after the story is finished. Many of these images feel inextricably connected to the land in the East of England, as they should in a High Tide production, and it was brilliant to feel that connection throughout the show.
As the stories progress the candle-lit theatre is used to great effect as it gets gradually darker and darker, candle by candle - lending itself to the feeling that something is changing between the two storytellers themselves as they take turns to tell the stories. The sound, too, is simple but effective - just the use of the guitar, a squeeze box, and the voices or breaths of the actors, can make every manner of spooky noise - from long wheezing breaths to creaks, to loud bangs and dripping. The simplicity of the set up only encourages you further into your imagination, where the stories come to life.
All in all this production is everything you want a night of ghost stories to be, and it reminds you how exciting it is to see touring work with a strong connection to its base be brought into London theatre spaces. Too often a divide exists which means we miss out on such inventive and imaginative productions, and on stories that come from outside of the city, that relate to more people, so it’s brilliant to see High Tide’s work in this iconic theatre.
I’ll be back next year!
★★★★
