In a world of ever-increasing distraction, it takes a special talent to captivate an audience for 90 minutes uninterrupted. But during George Naylor’s flawless performance in It Walks Around The House At Night at The Lowry theatre, you could hear a pin drop.
The haunting but wickedly funny story written by Manchester-based playwright Tim Foley, follows Joe – a barman and aspiring actor with questionable decision-making abilities and a chip on his shoulder – as he gleefully accepts a job he can’t refuse.
After taking an offer from the mysteriously handsome David, Joe agrees to walk the perimeter of Paragon Hall night after night for a week, pretending to be a ghost. The explanation for this job is straightforward, he is there to reinforce the legend of the spirit who haunts the grounds of the Tudor estate.
Joe’s boy-next-door character lures the audience into a false sense of security, with genuinely funny dialogue and well-delivered one-liners punctuating the first 30 minutes or so of the narration. However, once the dread begins to creep in the tone changes.
Credit: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
What ensues is a gradual-building horror brought to life by clever lighting and chilling sound effects set to the backdrop of a forest projected onto the stage. Coupled with the occasional view of the eerily lit hall, Stranger Things-esque text and a little well-placed voiceover narration bring you into Joe’s world, which is becoming increasingly disturbing.
For lovers of The Woman in Black, the concept is not a new one – a spectre looming in the shadows giving genuine jump-scares which bring more horror than watching a ghost story play out on-screen.
However, Joe’s own narrative – facilitated by Naylor’s acting – play into the terror as we see him creeping around the grounds and, later, sleep-walking night after night as a creature scuttles around his room.
The ThickSkin production team uses all the tools at its disposal to build to an atmospheric crescendo, helped along greatly by Naylor’s increasingly frantic performance. We meet more characters along the way, Joe’s boss, an ex-boyfriend and the unnerving David – who has his own backstory which emerges in dribs and drabs – although only one other actor joins the stage briefly throughout the course of the play and the set remains unchanged.
Credit: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
Foley’s decision to merge a traditional ghost story with folklore allows for various threats to emerge as the narrative unfolds and the chaotic ending, while slightly fast-paced, gives audiences the dark and twisty resolution they deserve for sitting through the scares.
Naylor’s depiction alone of the fun, flirty and flawed Joe deserved the riotous applause that ensued at curtain fall, but it would be remiss not to acknowledge director Neil Bettles’ admirable ability to create so much from such a minimalist set-up.
All things considered, It Walk Around The House At Night is a well-produced, expertly acted spine-tingling spook-fest that will stay with you long after the lights go back up.
5/5.
For more information visit The Lowry website.
