Spooky (but not in the Scooby Doo way)

We love Chris Priestly’s Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror series. Fact. Some of that is because he our mate but most of it is because they are really good short stories, all twined together in a sinister way and told with elegance and style and will make you shiver in that pleasurable way that only well written horror fiction can. Last night we ventured into London to see a play version that was AWESOME and CREEPY and ATMOSPHERIC and WOW. It was in the Old Vic tunnels (in a slightly dodgy part of town) but the tunnels really are tunnels—these old underground caverns where the sound of ghostly trains rumbles over your head. The chilly, dank walls remind me of something straight out of Poe.

www.oldvictunnels.com says this:

Uncle Montague’s Stories from the Shadows

If you are sitting comfortably, then I will begin…

Based on Chris Priestley’s best selling book Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror this new stage adaptation lurks in The Old Vic Tunnels this December.  Join Edgar as he set off through the woods to hear his uncle’s frightening stories.  But stories can’t hurt you because they are not true… definitely NOT true, right?  

Suitable for 8-13 year olds (brave 6&7 years olds welcome but you have been warned)

Sussex based OnO Theatre have been making theatre for young audiences for 10 years.  Their award winning work has been seen in schools and theatres across the country.  After this tour the show will tour schools in the southeast as part of a project improving boy literacy engagement at Key Stage 2. 

The acting was good and the use of props stellar. I love suggested props—a collapsible mesh basket with a wooly scarf attached—a puppet of a dog. A wooden trunk turned on its side—a tree that is forbidden to climb. An empty frame—a mirror of the soul. Antlers held aloft by an actor—sinister trees that seem to reach towards you in the darkness.

It was a cracking good show and a great adaptation of Chris’ work. I realize that it says Suitable for 8-13 year olds (brave 6&7 years olds welcome but you have been warned) but it was well suited to two 42 year olds who love intimate theatre (and this was—you were right there in the action so close you could have touched the actors.)  I’d love to see them get the funding to come to schools. *shiver*