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25 August 2025
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4****
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The ghost story/thriller has, over the years, been something of a neglected genre by theatre; true there have been a few decent ones; versions of ‘The Turn of the Screw’, ‘The Woman in Black’ for instance, but a revival really came with Danny Robins’ ‘2:22 – A Ghost Story’ and plays like ‘Murder in the Dark’ have followed. Written and premiered just two years ago, the wonderful contrast which it provides within the summer season is edifying in the extreme.
All the elements come into play here; stormy New Year’s Eve night, car crash, remote old converted barn, bad weather, lights flickering on and off, no phone signal……. the list goes on. As the curtain rises, has-been singer, Danny Sierra arrives with girlfriend and members of his family heading home following the funeral of his mother. Arguments erupt and old grudges come to the surface as they all deal with the night ahead.
The play does take a little time to get going as the groundwork is laid for what is to come but as the story develops, the audience is provided with plenty jumps and shocks as well as an intriguing narrative. The reviewer must, at this moment, take special care not to give anything away, suffice to say in this type of play you treat everything and everyone with a degree of suspicion.
In his Sidmouth debut, Jaymes Sygrove, as Sierra, is terrific; barely off the stage, his gradual journey from sanity to horrified madness is intense and well measured; by the end it is exhausting just being in his presence. Laura Anna-Mead is very effective as the edgy and pent-up Sarah and Anton Tweedale is nicely full of bitterness and resentment as William, Danny’s estranged brother. Rebecca, Danny’s ex-wife has split loyalties but is ultimately strong, as is, Stephanie Willson in the role. As the angry teenage son, Jake, Jake Seabrooke confronts his Father in a speech which is superbly delivered and which completely silences the audience; superb work. The mysterious housekeeper, Mrs Bateman, is a wonderful role; continually popping up and references religion and her own philosophies – who is she?? Whatever the answer, Emily Outred sinks her teeth into it with glee and offers a cracking performance.
Yes, the dialogue at times is a tad clunky and the storyline does race towards the melodramatic, but there is one ‘character’ yet to be discussed which makes up for certain deficiencies. On a technical level this is a very demanding piece. Andrew Beckett’s set design is superb – the ‘transparent’ back wall through which you can see outside the barn is fantastic and somehow makes the modest stage look much bigger. The lighting design by Will Tippet is possibly the best I have seen at the Manor Pavilion – dangerously dark at times, it is full of atmosphere and adds to the fun. The television which comes on and off at will is so well done – the cartoon of ‘Three Blind Mice’ is instantly disturbing. Full credit to James Prendergast for bringing these effects to life and making them enhance the storyline. The overall effect is very good and when the audience are saying they jumped out of their skin then you know you have got these things right. While it is possible to guess some of the twists and turns, when you think you have, there are more and I would defy anyone to work out everything that has happened.
Director Jason Marc-Williams is a master of creating atmosphere and tension and here he has the advantage of a good story, super cast and first-class technicians all of which he has combined to produce something which is very new, very fresh and very effective.
Cast
Danny Sierra – Jaymes Sygrove
Mrs Bateman – Emily Outred
Sarah – Laura Anna-Mead
William – Anton Tweedale
Jake – Jake Seabrooke
Rebecca – Stephanie Willson
Creatives
Writer – Torben Betts
Director – Jason Marc-Williams
Set Design – Andrew Beckett
Costume Designer – Jan Huckle
Lighting Design – Chris Jackson, Will Tippet,
Sound Design/Operation – James Prendergast, Mark Rose
Set Builder – Rhys Cannon
Stage Manager – James Prendergast
Set Assistant – Dominic McChesney
Artistic Director – Paul Taylor-Mills
Associate Producer – Andrew Beckett
