This week Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre is staging a lesser known tale from the pen of literary great Charles Dickens: The Haunting. And with a cast of only three and an eerie and imposing set, I knew I was in for an interesting evening.
The action takes place in the study of an ancient manor house, not unlike the superb West End thriller The Woman in Black.
David Filde (Sean Maguire) is a young book dealer cataloguing the impressive library of his client Lord Gray (Paul Nicholas). A seemingly simple task which takes on a much darker and complicated underlying role; particularly when the bridal ghost of Mary (Hannah Steele) puts in an appearance.
Maguire and Nicholas make for an excellent double act and the lighting and sound effects mean Steele is a convincing and wholly believable apparition with some truly blood-curdling screams!
The inevitable twist in the tale at the end – which I won’t spoil by revealing here – works well but did not shock or surprise me. A shame, as I was expecting this from such a seasoned storyteller as Dickens.
Overall though, an enjoyable play that’s definitely worth a visit.
Charles Dickens’ The Haunting is running until Saturday 20 November. For further information visit
