The origins of theatre come from, and, in various forms remain, a shared experience of story-telling in the dark; a darkness that is lit by magical means. Spookily enough, it is most fitting that Ghost Stories grants this spell-bound Nottingham Playhouse audience a chance to enjoy the consummate skills of Mark Gatiss and Adrian Scarborough.

There are four ghost stories namely ‘The Red Room’ by H.G Wells, ‘Harry’ by Rosemary Timperley, ‘The Patter of Tiny Feet’ by Nigel Kneale and ‘Long Distance Call’ by Richard Matheson. Each of the tales of fear and hauntings are conveyed with quiet concentration and subtly played out dramas by both Gatiss and Scarborough. You can’t hear a pin drop in this deathly quiet auditorium with its totally rapt and respectful audience. We may be socially distanced but our combined theatre-going hearts are engaged as one as we delight in this re-engagement with theatre. As Gatiss says, at the close of this thrilling Halloween evening, “Long Live Theatre!”

Many thanks to Nottingham Playhouse for this extra-ordinary gift of #NPUnlocked and to all the staff and the artistic and executive directors Adam Penford and Stephanie Sirr. Thanks too for making the shows available through streaming.