REVIEW | The Enfield Haunting, Ambassadors Theatre
Ella Schrey-Yeats (Janet), David Threlfall (Maurice), Photo by Marc BrennerWritten by Philip
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review.
There is always anticipation in the air when you see a play. Especially when the play is about the supernatural, this was no different. The Enfield Haunting tells the tale of the well-documented case in the 1970’s of the Enfield Poltergeist.
Written by Paul Unwin, this version of the happenings seems to sit rather oddly between a comedy and a supernatural thriller. The play runs for approximately 75 minutes straight through but it doesn’t seem long enough to set up the plot and allow space for the scary sections. Having said that, the hour-play feels still and slow. There is a lack of urgency from the characters. Their fear and anticipation just doesn’t stretch out into the audience. Even when the supernatural moments occur, the audience doesn’t seem to be scared. Part of the beauty of a play like this is the build-up where your blood runs cold, your hairs stand up and you get goosebumps right before a scare. Unfortunately, I don’t think this play has that. It’s an odd combination of humour and mundane chatter before glimpses of the supernatural. The pacing is just a little off.
The piece is staged in what looks like a house that has been cut in half - unfinished edges with dark walls. This to me is very effective. It looks like a typical 1970s house that has been infected by a ghostly being. Everything is darkened. It does set the scene at the beginning of the show and is used brilliantly throughout. My only issue is that from the front of the stalls, it is pretty impossible to see what is happening in the upstairs portion of the set as it’s set too far back.
I think the actors play to their strengths. They do well to lean into the comedy in particular. Catherine Tate, who plays Peggy Hodgson, proves why she is the queen of comedy with her delivery and her looks. She does well with the material she is given. Tate shows great vulnerability and truth in the dramatic side of this play, although sadly these moments are too few and far between.
David Threlfall, who plays Maurice Grosse, is afforded more time to be dramatic. He gives his character an eerie quality. Never really showed his truth until the very end. Threlfall leans into the dramatic moments and shows real intrigue and excitement at the supernatural but ultimately is let down by the script.
Ella Schrey-Yates and Grace Molony play Mrs Hodgson’s daughters, Janet and Margaret respectively. Yates convincingly plays a possessed Janet. Her moments of possession are genuinely a little scary. Throughout the play, Molony shows her range while flitting between a jokester and a scared teen. Both fill their roles well and help build the picture of the story truthfully.
One rather large issue I had with this production was with the spectre themselves. Without giving too much away - I would have preferred the idea of the spectre rather than the visual.
Ultimately this telling of the Enfield Haunting did not leave me chilled to the bone. It left me relatively lukewarm. Although it has some shocking moments - it did not make me fearful. I wanted to leave the theatre with adrenaline rushing through my body, with my hairs still standing on end but unfortunately, I felt quite flat.
Playing at the Ambassadors Theatre until Saturday 2nd March 2024
☆ ☆
