Oxford has a raw and fascinating history that latches on to the present, from its ancient cobblestone paths and ruins, to the traditions still loyally played out by its residents, and even, many have claimed, in its ghosts. Danny Robins tells us just this, inviting sceptic Chris French to the stage, with Team Believer represented by the recurring Eveline Hollow, a parapsychologist.
Robins’ search for the truth about ghosts and the seemingly unexplainable started in 2017 with a podcast named Haunted. Since then, he has created The Battersea Poltergeist, The Witch Farm, and the most popular of all of them: Uncanny.
Uncanny has Robins deep-dive into cases of paranormal experiences that viewers/listeners have sent in, where he and a team of experts discuss possible explanations and pick apart parts of the story, as well as history of the location in question. In the recent BBC TV series, Robins explores the location, interviews witnesses and applies his own research as well as the experts’ in each episode as they tackle a different case.
But as a stage show, does it work? The answer is yes. And really well.
The stage is set with the perfect spooky atmosphere; crooked trees, their top-most branches spelling the words ‘Uncanny’ in a Blair Witch-type manner, smoke machines fogging the stage, the lighting and props perfectly on cue. This is a real triumph in terms of set design and crew, with a versatile doorway to set each new case up, and a projector playing behind the trees as witnesses gave their pre-recorded accounts of their haunted histories. It is enough to get the audience drawn in and ready, and by the time Danny Robins pops up on stage like a beloved eccentric uncle, everyone is thrilled to have a guide through this eery web of a journey.
Overall Robins is a good storyteller, allowing the audience to participate with their own tales, questions and theories; microphones wading through the sea of an intrigued crowd. This is maybe the heart of why Robins’ show is welcomed to warmly by an audience – there is no side. Believer or Sceptic, both are perfectly respectable. He presents us with no shame in believing something others may scoff at. Whether ghosts are real or not has been a controversial source of contention for centuries – and Robins is one of the only shows that even sceptics enjoy watching.
Although the stage show would differ from stage to stage, the discussion areas could be repetitive and long at times. Eveline Hollow loves a poltergeist as much as Chris French likes to believe it can all be put down to sleep deprivation. The audience craves more spooky tales!
When discussion does come around the lights flash up, burning your retinas until you’re forced to listen to both sides of the argument – be warned of bright lights and photo-sensitivity when going to this production.
The first case of discussion that becomes the heart and soul of Act 1 is the story of Matthew and and his partner, expectant mother Lisa, living in a Victorian flat above the plumbing shop where Matthew works. The story involves a kettle, eerie and sudden footsteps, and a Valentine's present destroyed. Most eerile of all is Matthew's tale of an impossible phone call with a child’s voice, or Lisa staring at an angry, sickly Victorian old man in the bedroom doorway. The suspense is built with the use of props, staging, lighting. But the imagery that flashes on screen, complete with overused horror-movie scream, comes off as cheesy and takes the audience out of the moment, making someone’s story less believable.
Act 2 brings the story of neighbours haunting after a tragic accident, with an account from a child and their parents where they only realised all of the coincidences could be a haunting decades later. This portion moved into audience’s stories, where a child saw the ghost of the past tenant of a flat, calling him the “tomato man” due, unbeknownst to her, to the blood covering him from a suicide attempt. But the last was very chilling and intriguing as it takes place in a charity shop in Oxford, where the location was concealed due to the use of their bereavement rooms, and not wanting to scare off anyone needing their support there. A ghost that strong-hearted staff have named “George” would turn lights on at closing, knock boxes of bags off shelves, creep up behind people, tap them on the shoulder, etc.
Robins’ shows seamlessly integrates with their setting; bringing Oxford some ghosts of the past, some yet to explore, and, overall, bringing the audience closer together – many of the crowd mingled together in the interval over their own stories alongside the cases brought up. It was like an interactive, theatrical university lecture, but on the best topic: ghosts. And whether you believe in them or not, the stories are real to the teller, and this production showcases just that.
Uncanny is set to hit Bristol at the Old Vic from Tuesday 16th July, then on to Barnstaple on Saturday 20th, before officially coming to close in Northampton on Monday 22nd July 2024.