Bram Stoker's The Judge's House in Birmingham, Stourbridge and Worcester

Post

Subscribe

Sat 26 Oct 2024 - Fri 01 Nov 2024

A spooky Halloween treat is being offered to the Midlands by theatre company NeuNoir .

The Judge’s House, a tale of creeping terror written by Dracula creator Bram Stoker, is set to visit Stourbridge Town Hall on October 26, 2024, Birmingham Back-To-Backs on October 27, 2024, and Worcester’s Greyfriars House on November 1, 2024.

Read by actor Richard Usher , it is the fourth production from NeuNoir, whose previous horror outings have included readings of WH Hodgson’s Carnacki: The Ghost Hunter, EF Benson’s The Outcast and MR James’ Casting The Runes.



The Judge’s House was originally published in the Christmas 1891 edition of the weekly Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News before being posthumously re-published as part of a collection which also included the previously unseen Dracula's Guest (1914).

It tells the tale of maths student Malcolmson who, eager to pursue his studies away from familiar distractions, heads to the small sleepy remote market town of Benchurch. There, he discovers a desolate fortified Jacobean manor. Though once owned by a cruel and merciless ‘hanging judge’ (now deceased), and seemingly feared by superstitious locals, Malcolmson nonetheless deems it perfect. Moving into the imposing vacant property, his intense study initially goes well until his peace is violently disturbed by an infestation of gnawing rats, whose repellent invasions become bolder and bolder with each passing night. The dark story warns of the inherent dangers of dismissing superstition and is widely regarded as one of Stoker’s greatest horror achievements.



Bram Stoker (pictured above) was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1847. A former Civil Servant turned theatre manager and writer, his first short story, The Crystal Cup, was published in 1872, while his debut novel, thriller/romance The Snake's Pass, arrived in 1890. But it was Dracula, published in 1897, which was to become his literary masterpiece. Hugely influential, the chilling Gothic vampire tale re-shaped the horror genre and launched one of the most enduring characters in popular culture, establishing Stoker’s reputation as a master horror writer.

For The Judge's House performance times and tickets see neunoir.wordpress.com , boroughhalls.co.uk , nationaltrust.org.uk/birmingham-back-to-backs or nationaltrust.org.uk/greyfriars-house-and-garden .


%wnbirmingham

#arts_culture
#theatre_shows
#halloween
#books
#performing Arts
#horror