7 replies to this topic

[Laughingmonsta]

Very dissapointing, all hype and no substance, best thing about the production is the set! 2:5*s at best!

[An Enemy of the Circle]

Ouch!

Planned viewing at 5pm Sat...may reschedule!

[Laughingmonsta]

I wasn't a fan...but you may like it! longer review to follow tomorrow!

[An Enemy of the Circle]

It was on shaky ground given it's raison d'etre - to scare the s**t out've you.

Ghost Train rides at the fair used to promise as much yrs ago!

I may see it anyway as I'm down to see The Dreadful Hrs later on in the evng in Scouse Land - hopefully they won't be!

[Laughingmonsta]

There has been a lot of hype surrounding the latest co=production between The Liverpool Playhouse & The Lyric, Hammersmith. Ghost Stories has been self proclaimed the Scariest production to grace the theatrical stage, even coming with its own health warning suggesting those of a nervous disposition, pregnant or people with heart problems should avoid coming...a clever hype making money spinner if ever I saw one!

Ghost Stories has been conceived by Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson who are both ably positioned to create a dark and terrifying stage experience, with Dyson’s dark sense of humour and imagination coming to the limelight through programmes such as The League of Gentlemen and Nyman’s ability to create captivating illusions and psychological tricks through his expertise as a mentalist, but unfortunately nothing in the production lives up to expectations or indeed the hype it has managed to wrap itself in.

The writers have asked that reviewers not give too much information away and that each audience experiences Ghost Stories first hand, which as a fair reviewer I will keep to that request, but what I will say is any fan of the horror genre or indeed a teller of urban Legends won’t find anything in this production bar the intriguing twist at the end original or indeed truly terrifying.  Essentially Ghost Stories is three of the most overdone Urban Legends that have been given a live presentation, which all in all are well acted by the strong and naturalistic performances by the cast.

Nicholas Burns as Mike Priddle brings most of the evenings chuckles alive thanks to his I-pod addicted father figure, whilst David Cardy as Tony Matthews’ portrayal as a security wide boy, whos close encounter leaves him a little unsettled. Andy Nyman gives a brilliant and unbelievably naturalistic performance as Professor Philip Goodman and brings a nice tone and energy to his ‘Lecture’ but it is the performance of Ryan Gage as Simon Rifkind Who gives the most enjoyable performance of the evening.

For this reviewer the real star of this co-production is undoubtedly the set designed by Jon Bauser and lit by James Farncombe, together they have managed to create the strongest sense of tension, through their use stylised rooms and outdoor scenes, to the creative use of lighting, brought this production the much needed sense of theatricality.

Any fan of the horror genre is going to be sadly disappointed by the lack of anything really frightening in this production, if you know how horror films and thrillers build up tension and understand how the set pieces are played out then unfortunately you are going to leave the production a little undwerwhelmed. Ghost Stories lacks the finesse of fine story telling that really chills you to the bone and my suggestion is, if you want a truly terrifying stage experience wait until The Woman in Black graces the stage of the Playhouse.

[An Enemy of the Circle]

Ok, as it's not Hellraiser or Freddie K, I've ditched it...will have to make do with Tim B's To Kill a Mockingbird, brought fwd with Dreadful Hrs retained for the evening...

[Weez]

Guys, I've gotta say, I really enjoyed this. And you know how every friendship group has at least one real afficionado of the horror genre? Ours really enjoyed it too. Where ghost stories work is by taking the familiar and making it uncanny by playing on doubts and uncertainties. There's not a new or original ghost story under the sun but that doesn't mean they're inherently not scary. Hell, even The Woman in Black is for the most part a very basic and traditional story.

While I was thinking it was very bold of them to claim "THIS IS TOTES GOING TO BE THE SCARIEST THING YOU EVER DID SEE AND YOU'RE GOING TO WET YOURSELF OR DIE, DEPENDING ON WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE A HEART CONDITION!" and wasn't scared at the time, I have found some of the imagery lingering in my mind and making things like driving home alone late at night a somewhat more nerve-wracking experience than it ordinarily would be. I think some people - not necessarily in or limited to this thread - might be focusing a little heavily on the disclaimer; instead of watching the play and enjoying it for what it is, some seem to have been judging it negatively purely because they did not find it a frightening experience. But surely the disclaimer is just as much as a part of the artifice as the actors and the set, rather than a genuine necessary warning to be taken with utmost seriousness!

You might not be terrified (or you might be; there seem to be a lot of pansies on Twitter who were XD), but the writers display an excellent understanding of both the genre of horror and the medium of theatre. It's well put-together, very well-acted, and with tickets available for as little as £10 and an 80 minute running time, it's hardly the commitment of the century. If you get the opportunity, please do see it and judge it for yourself. Judge it as a whole, and don't just focus on the alleged fear.

[Backdrifter]

I'm with Weez. No-one could surely be expected to read too much into the show's own publicity hype, though I agree you potentially set yourself up for a fall if you make the kind of bold statements in the promo materials. I'm sorry it seems an earlier poster in this thread abandoned going to see it, as it's worth seeing. I made a conscious effort to divorce it from the blurb and ended up with an enjoyable and well-made production that had some very nice performances. A sequence involving an ambiguous detail in a photograph was understatedly unsettling, and the 'stories' themselves were well played out with a few nice links pointing to the unexpected ending.

No it's not hugely disturbing, it's not out-and-out horror, but there are moments of tension and jumpiness that got good reactions from the Hammersmith matinee audience I was in.

Very good programme too, including some nostalgic (for me) references e.g. to Thriller - not the Jackson album, but the 70s TV series on LWT - and a decent short story from Jeremy Dyson.