Ghost Stories at The Alexandra Theatre - Review

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Thu 09 Jan 2020 - Sat 11 Jan 2020

Those of a nervous disposition should look away now as the hit theatre show Ghost Stories - from a creator of The League Of Gentleman - is in Birmingham.



Stopping off at The Alexandra Theatre until Saturday January 11, Ghost Stories is as much about tension, suspense and jump in your seat moments than blood and gore.

It obviously attracts fans of the horror genre and the audience, excited yet filled with trepidation, were on the edge of their seats before it had even begun.

Across the aisle, I caught sight of a member of the audience who had brought their own Scream mask along, adding to the tension in the room. But that's part of the beauty of this show - the excitement generated by those watching and their reactions.



The inside of the Alexandra Theatre was even lit up in a supernatural green to welcome the tour to Birmingham. While poster frames leading to the auditorium had also been graffitied in white pen with details that make sense at the end of the show. Take a look beforehand if you can.

Ghost Stories takes place over 90 minutes in one straight run without an interval, which helps keeps the momentum and tension going.

I won't give any spoilers but the premise is that the audience is attending a speech by a lecturer explaining why people think they have seen ghost sightings, highlighting some of his investigations with PowerPoint tools. Joshua Goodman is perfectly cast in this role.



Written by Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson, who also is a writer for BBC programme The League Of Gentleman, there's the same quirkiness and mixture of creepiness and comedy. It's written by people that obviously enjoy and understand the elements of ghost stories.

There's good special effects too, particularly on the sound side of things, and a strong stage set, which revolves and creates a suitably sinister ambience. It's all helped by a small but strong cast including Richard Sutton, Paul Hawkyard and Gus Gordon.



I must admit, I'm a complete wimp when it comes to horror movies but I found Ghost Stories thoroughly entertaining, even if I got the heeby-jeebies several times.

It's clever and funny with a good storyline, plot twists and elements of the genre that will keep horror fans happy. With something this inventive and fun, it's hard not to enjoy.

RATING: & #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9734 ;

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!date 09/01/2020 -- 11/01/2020
%wnbirmingham