The Haunting at Bromley Little Theatre

Whilst this was written by a modern playwright, Hugh Janes has drawn on Charles Dickens ghost stories for inspiration. I for one am pleased he did because I love a “things that go bump in the night” piece of theatre. Directed by a master of the genre, from the moment the house lights go down we are treated to a piercing scream, atmospheric lighting, and music that sets the scene. 

The action takes place in the library of a country house on the moors and whilst I would have liked some attempt at panelling and more substantial doors and bookcases, I understood that this had to be a neutral space in which to re-enact the story of good versus evil in the “upstairs, downstairs” world of a Victorian country gentleman, and a servant of youth and beauty whom he defiles. Though a story told countless times, this has a twist in the tale and the macabre end to the young women is truly horrifying. It is her ghost of course that haunts this house and the lighting was the most effective I’ve ever seen in the non-professional theatre. We were treated to an apparition hovering in the tree outside the French windows and in the room, dressed in a white wedding dress suitable for the period, as indeed were the costumes of the two men. A two-hander has its own challenges and the younger of the two acquitted himself very well, his clear voice and diction perfectly attuned to the period and his age. The older actor was less sure of himself, but they worked well together. However, for me the stars were the many books, the lighting, wonderfully dim and shadowy, the sound effects, and the glorious music, composed especially for BLT.

Contributed by Nikki Packham