Ghost Stories

Ghost Stories

Ghost Stories

It carried with it all of the ingredients of a West End hit; it has scares and tension, it has humour and great story telling, plus it has already earned admiration from its run at the Lyric Hammersmith in 2010 and its previous run in Liverpool. So expect great things from “Ghost Stories”, which appears at the Duke of York’s Theatre from July and carries a word of warning for the faint-hearted, which warns of its moments of shock and tension.

It is the work of Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, who both put pen to paper on the show and take on directing duties alongside Sean Holmes. The pair have many admirers across the United Kingdom, with Dyson working as one quarter of “The League of Gentlemen” and Nyman appearing in the likes of “Dead Set” and working with Derren Brown. Together they have created a well-received show with “Ghost Stories”, which has earned rave reviews and high audience attendance since it opened and looks set to repeat this trend in the West End.

Its warnings of shock and tension are proof that the show excels at its purpose – to provide spooky new stories to the theatre scene and with humour added to the mix it provides a truly memorable experience all around. It makes its positive reception well-deserved and its extended stay at the Lyric Hammersmith all the more justified.

But the performance of the cast and crew should not be ignored, with Jon Bausor providing designs, James Farncombe providing lighting, Nick Manning providing sound design, Lewis Peploe providing movement direction and Scott Penrose providing special effects. The cast that takes to the stage includes Andy Nyman as well as Nicholas Burns, David Cardy and Ryan Gage.

It means that Andy Nyman has taken on a range of responsibilities with the production as co-writer, co-director and performer. Nyman is an English actor and comedian who has appeared in various television shows and also worked in film and for Derren Brown both onstage and onscreen. His screen credits include “Dead Set”, “Severance”, “Coney Island Baby”, “Wild Romance” and Frank Oz’s “Death at a Funeral”, whilst his work with Derren Brown includes “The Heist”, for which he was nominated for a BAFTA in 2007.

Meanwhile Dyson created “The League of Gentlemen” with Mark Gatiss, Reece Sheersmith and Steve Pemberton, with further credits that include novels “Bright Darkness: Lost Art of the Supernatural Horror Film” and “The Cranes that Build the Cranes” and the television series “Funland”.

Ghost Stories is at the Duke of York’s Theatre from Tuesday 13th July 2010 (previews from Friday 25th June 2010) until Sunday 7th November 2010.