The spooktacular Haunted comes to the Mill Centre in Banbury. And Daily Info sat down with writer, performer and podcaster Adam Z. Robinson to discuss the show, the horror genre, and his favourite ghost stories.
Daily Info: What's Haunted all about?
Adam Z. Robinson: Haunted is two classic ghost stories brought to life on stage: The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs and The Upper Berth by F. Marion Crawford. If you've read these stories, you'll know that they're both absolutely chilling, real classics of the genre. If you haven't read them, you're about to discover two new favourite stories!
DI: What can audiences expect from the show?
AR: It's a solo show - I perform as The Storyteller and I bring the stories to life on stage. It's a really intimate storytelling show - it's cosy, chilling, thrilling and loads of fun. It's like wandering into a dimly-lit Edwardian parlour and being spun a ghostly yarn by a mysterious raconteur. The first tale is set on an ocean steamer, the second in the living room of a family home and there's an immersive, creepy soundscape that really brings you into the world of the tales, too. I'd say it's not for the faint of heart - the stories are pretty unsettling! And there may be a few jumpy moments along the way, too... This is our fifth touring show and we're always thrilled to bring ghost stories to theatres up and down the country - audiences seem to love the shows and we're so thrilled about that.
DI: What's your favourite ghost story? And which has been your favourite to perform?
AR: Today, I think my favourite ghost story is A Warning to the Curious by M.R. James - but, honestly, my answer to this question changes all the time. E. Nesbit, Edith Wharton, Algernon Blackwood, the list goes on and on and I love them all. As for performing them, I really enjoy performing my own ghost stories - our previous shows Shivers, Upon the Stair and The Book of Darkness & Light were made up of original tales. But I am loving bringing classic tales to the stage right now. I'm so excited about performing The Upper Berth - a really scary little story, set at sea - and The Monkey's Paw - which may be the most atmospheric Gothic tale ever written. I just can't wait for people to see Haunted.
DI: Horror seems to be more popular than ever. Why do you think the genre is going through such a boom right now?
AR: I think people find horror quite comforting - that may seem odd to anyone who's not a fan, but I think it's true. In times of uncertainty and change, horror - as with lots of other fantastical genre fiction, theatre and cinema - offers an escape; a break from what's happening around us, something we can really dive into and get lots out of. There's a familiarity to ghost stories, too. We might not know the specific story, but we know the atmosphere of ghost story. We may not know every beat of the tale, but we have a sense of what we're in for. It's not dissimilar to comedy in that sense - we know and enjoy the things that make us laugh... but why is something funny? It's hard to say, exactly. Why is a particular moment from a ghost story so spine-tingling? Again, it's not so easy a question. But we know we like it! Also, with ghost stories, they're scary, they're spooky, they're chilling... but there's a cosiness, a safety and a distance which allows us to enjoy the terror from their armchair (or theatre seat!) Perhaps in a world where things change so rapidly from one day to the next, having something that's riveting, familiar but also offers some fun and escapism is just what people need.
DI: Can you sum the show up in three words?
AR: Thrilling. Chilling. Fun!
Haunted is touring this winter and will be at the The Mill Arts Centre in Banbury on Thursday 26th January.
Photo credits: Barnaby Aldrick and Mark Bickerdike