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27 July 2026
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5*****
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In 2025 the production of ‘Murder in the Dark’ rather highlighted the dearth of good ghost-themed plays. That was a very modern play and though ‘The Haunting’ only premiered in 2010, the basis of the play are stories by Charles Dickens. The great writer loved the spooky and the unexplained and here Hugh Janes has created a wonderful amalgam of some of Dickens’ short stories. What results is a fantastically realised script which hooks the audience immediately. The success of the writing, though, needs a production to match it – this does and then some!
At the halfway point in the 2026 Summer Play Festival, this is the production of the season so far. As the curtains open, accompanied by perfectly chosen music, the mist gradually clears to reveal a wonderfully detailed library in a fading mansion – a figure is asleep in a chair and another is seen through the window with a lamp – entering the room, complete with a creaky door! What follows is the story of David Filde, a young book dealer who has been sent to value the collection belonging to the owner of the house, Lord Gray. What follows is a story of twists and turns and of revelations and shocks.
The play is more or less a two-hander and in Christopher Lyne and Jaymes Sygrove you have two incredibly strong actors who carry the performance brilliantly well. Lyne gives Lord Gray an impressive power and gravitas which gradually changes over the course of the play. Sygrove is the nervy younger man who explodes with astonishingly good story telling which is dynamic and totally engrossing. With Stephanie Willson perfectly fulfilling a much smaller, but vital role, you have a cast of the highest order.
Once again, it is important to laud the work of Messrs Beckett, Prendergast and Cannon, who create a magnificent set and attendant props and furniture. You know when you see stone arches that you are more than likely deep in Victorian Gothic territory and, along with Janet Huckle’s costume designs, it seems somehow rather comfortable… that is, until…. the doors slam, the screams begin and the books fly. The special effects, the soundscape and the lighting create a completely riveting production which has the audience spellbound.
Director, Andrew Beckett, just knows what he wants and creates and exhilarating production which has tremendous style and class.
This is brilliant theatre – just make sure you go and see it!
Cast
Lord Gray – Christopher Lyne
David Filde – Jaymes Sygrove
Mary – Stephanie Willson
Creatives
Writer – Hugh Janes
Director – Andrew Beckett
Set Design – Andrew Beckett
Costume Designer – Janet Huckle
Lighting Design – Chris Jackson & Will Tippett
Sound Design – James Prendergast
Props Supervisor – James Prendergast
Set Builder – Rhys Cannon
Stage Manager – James Prendergast
Sound/Lighting Operation – James Prendergast
Stage Management Team – Dominic McChesney & Rhys Cannon
Season Producer – Andrew Beckett
Season Patron – Paul Taylor-Mills
Photo Image – Sidmouth Rep
