As the great ghost story writer MR James knew, the curious get themselves into all sorts of trouble. So it might be wise for fans of James and theatre in unusual locations to read this review as a warning. All is not what it seems in this torturous evening that feels like being buried alive for 90 minutes with no possibility of clawing your way out.
Entering the space, it appears as if we have been invited to the birthday party of somebody called Nick. I had high hopes that Old Nick might be the birthday boy, but there is no such fun in the po-faced performance – Nick is the director. Let loose to explore the low, icy corridors (which doesn't take long), you wander around trying to keep warm, and wait for something to happen. After a while, you realise that all that is going to happen is already taking place: a young man, sitting at a table in a carpeted nook, tonelessly reads two of James's best-known stories, Count Magnus and A Warning to the Curious. Meanwhile, the other members of the cast wander around playing with puppets looking meaningful and mournful. A woman in a crinoline and gas mask drifts by. Everyone does everything very slowly as if that imbues it with more significance. In a back-room space there is a note from Nick saying he is sorry but he has to leave his own party. I envied him his escape.
The marriage of MR James and the crypt must have seemed like heaven, but you have to work at a marriage, contextualise it, explore it and make sense of it or it crumbles to nothing. There's more fun to be had at The Woman in Black.
Until 13 March. ticketing@warningsproject.com
