Ghost Stories terrified audiences at the Lyric Hammersmith when it opened in 2010 – now it’s back to thrill a new generation of theatregoers. Jane McGowan catches up with co-writer Jeremy Dyson...
All the publicity material for Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson’s play Ghost Stories screams terror; video footage reveals audience members literally jumping out of their seats; shielding their eyes; wincing; while the post-performance clips reveal how visibly relieved people are to be out of the theatre’s shadows.
But in this age of cynicism and social media spoilers, can theatre really be that scary?
“Well, yes, I certainly hope so,” says Jeremy Dyson who, as one-quarter of sinister sketch show troupe The League of Gentlemen, has made a career out of unsettling people.
“Initially, there was a lot of nervousness about whether we could actually pull it off. I remember how thrilled we were on opening night when we got our first scream of terror from the audience,” he laughs, before adding: “Not that we want to traumatise people, we just want to scare them… and in a good way.”
I must say that Jeremy with his gentle West Yorkshire lilt couldn’t sound less scary if he tried, but the Bafta-winning writer has amassed a body of work, including the macabre comedy series Funland, and books such as Bright Darkness: Lost Art of the Supernatural Horror Film, that often features the darker side of life.
Ghost Stories, as you may have gathered, is no exception. Designed to thrill and chill, the plot is a closely guarded secret that audiences are asked not to share with would-be theatregoers. It has been phenomenally successful and after a sell-out, West End run and nationwide tour, the duo were asked to turn it into a movie. The subsequent film starring Martin Freeman and Paul Whitehouse was very well received and Jeremy admits he was thrilled with the end result.
“It was released internationally, which was wonderful and we got to go to lots of openings. Actually, it’s just won a Fangoria Chainsaw Award, which was amazing. Both me and Andy grew up reading Fangoria so that was a real thrill.”
And Jeremy is keen to emphasise that fans of the film will not be disappointed with the play.
“It’s a very different experience,” he says. “If you enjoyed the film you should definitely come and see this as the story is being played out before your eyes and that’s a big part of what the show is. Can you believe what your eyes are telling you they are seeing?”
The ideas of deception and trickery are also close to Jeremy’s heart, who is quite the accomplished magician.
“I do know quite a bit of magic. In fact, in my teenage days, I was a children’s entertainer so tricks were a big part of the act.” Fans of LoG will, of course, be familiar with Legz Akimbo – a not-so-wholesome travelling theatre company. “Oh no,” he laughs. “I wasn’t sinister at all. I’m quite jolly in the flesh.”
And I must say he has been very pleasant today, although I am yet to be convinced my nerves could withstand two hours of terror in a dimly lit Victorian theatre.
“It’s sort of like a theme park ride,” he reassures me. “It’s scary but the thrill more than makes up for it.” Hmmm, we’ll see.
04 Oct 2019 ‐ 04 Jan 2020. Visit: lyric.co.uk
